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Stories from Upanishads
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Contenuto fornito da Arghya Goswami. Tutti i contenuti dei podcast, inclusi episodi, grafica e descrizioni dei podcast, vengono caricati e forniti direttamente da Arghya Goswami o dal partner della piattaforma podcast. Se ritieni che qualcuno stia utilizzando la tua opera protetta da copyright senza la tua autorizzazione, puoi seguire la procedura descritta qui https://it.player.fm/legal.
Upanishads have a wealth of stories and tales which enrich us with various concepts of "Self-realization", "Brahman" or the "Supreme-Being", "Aatman" or the "Supreme-Self" and many other foundational building blocks of Santana Dharma. These stories are not only engaging but leave us with an ever-lasting resonance of thoughts. Many of these stories are pretty popular such as the Story of Nachiketa and his dialogues with the Lord of Death or the tale of Gargi or Satyakama. However, each time you hear them will provide you with a different aspect. So if you are tired after work, if you are down or if you are stressed out; listen to these stories and enrich yourself to the fullest. I will try my best to bring these stories in the simplest language so that they can be enjoyed and understood. So please subscribe, download or follow the podcast series to ensure that you don't miss out on any of these interesting stories. Untill then... Aum Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!!!
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30 episodi
Segna tutti come (non) riprodotti ...
Manage series 3395269
Contenuto fornito da Arghya Goswami. Tutti i contenuti dei podcast, inclusi episodi, grafica e descrizioni dei podcast, vengono caricati e forniti direttamente da Arghya Goswami o dal partner della piattaforma podcast. Se ritieni che qualcuno stia utilizzando la tua opera protetta da copyright senza la tua autorizzazione, puoi seguire la procedura descritta qui https://it.player.fm/legal.
Upanishads have a wealth of stories and tales which enrich us with various concepts of "Self-realization", "Brahman" or the "Supreme-Being", "Aatman" or the "Supreme-Self" and many other foundational building blocks of Santana Dharma. These stories are not only engaging but leave us with an ever-lasting resonance of thoughts. Many of these stories are pretty popular such as the Story of Nachiketa and his dialogues with the Lord of Death or the tale of Gargi or Satyakama. However, each time you hear them will provide you with a different aspect. So if you are tired after work, if you are down or if you are stressed out; listen to these stories and enrich yourself to the fullest. I will try my best to bring these stories in the simplest language so that they can be enjoyed and understood. So please subscribe, download or follow the podcast series to ensure that you don't miss out on any of these interesting stories. Untill then... Aum Shantih, Shantih, Shantih!!!
…
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30 episodi
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×This is a new series within my podcast "Stories from Upanishads" where in I will read out some sections /excerpts from some of the important books and writings on Upanishads by great scholars and thinkers. I hope you will find this episode interesting. I am reading this section from the book Messages of the Upanishads, section "Beyond Time and Space." Please follow and subscribe to my podcast series, "Stories from Upanishads," available on all major podcast platforms. Also, please do subscribe and like my YouTube channel, where you will find visuals along with audio experiences, visit - https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesfromUpanishads…
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Stories from Upanishads
1 Episode 28 - Story of King Brihaadratha and the path to moksha – Chapter 1 – Maitreya Upanishad 17:29
Today's story is taken from Maitreya Upanishad. This story is featured in chapter 1 of the Upanishad. This chapter describes the dialogue between the great ascetic king Brihaadratha from the Ikshvaaku dynasty or Solar dynasty and Sage Saakaayana. Please like, share, subscribe and download my podcast “Stories from Upanishads”, available on multiple podcast streaming platforms. Also, visit my website https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com , listen to my earlier podcast episodes, and read some of the blogs available. From now on my podcast will also be available on Youtube. You can search YouTube using the following link - https://www.youtube.com/@StoriesfromUpanishads/featured #upanishads #upanishad #maitreyaUpanishad #aatman…
The part 2 of Maandukya Upanishad deals with "AUM". It describes verses 8-12 from the Upanishad. It tells us about "AUM", how do you pronounce it? What happens when you chant "AUM" and many other secrets lying hidden in the syllable "AUM"? How it is connected to Viraat Purush, Hiraanyagarbha, Ishwara and Brahman? Why silence is "Turiya" the fourth quarter of Aatman? How do you perform Aum Kara Dhyaanam? Come with me and dive into a journey full of mysticism and unknowns. This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com. Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com.” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami You can listen to all my podcast episodes in my exclusive website: https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com also, you can read through some of my blogs and shop at ExoticIndia. ExoticIndia has a fabulous collection of rare books, jewellery, art objects and paintings. Spotify link: https://spoti.fi/3DVRcof Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3qxbaCF Gaana link: https://bit.ly/3KC9GxV Apple Podcast link: https://apple.co/3ORZrrH Google Podcast link: https://bit.ly/3QybEDg #upanishads #upanishad #upanishadstories #upanishadquotes #upanishadganga #upnisads #mahavaakya #mahavaakyas #mandukyaupanishad #mandukya #storiesfromupanishads #storiesfromupnishad #vedic #adwaita #advaitavedanta #advaita #advaitavedānta…
This is the 1st part of the Maandukya Upanishad in which the teacher describes the 4 states of Self. This episode also describes one of the Mahaavaakya from Upanishad -" Ayam Aatma Brahma " which means - " This Self is Brahman". As told in Muktika Upanishad, Maandukya Upanishad is the most important of all the 108 Upanishads. So come on friends, let's embark on a journey to know more about this wonderful ancient text. This podcast is available on almost all podcast platforms such as - Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Blubrry Podcasts, and many other podcast players. You can listen to the podcast on my exclusive website https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com . Furthermore, as a bonus, you can read through some interesting blogs and shop from ExoticIndia. ExoticIndia is India’s leading online store where you can find rare books, brass articles, idols, and many others. Also, I would request you all to like, share, follow, and download the podcast. Also, leave some of your valuable comments and reviews on various platforms you are listening to. Also, you can get in touch with me by writing to me at arghyathinks@gmail.com . Spotify link - https://open.spotify.com/show/7cls2BIlQSD9Suyiikz6mo Amazon music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/a5296ad4-00c3-453d-9215-a99466971d20/stories-from-upanishads Gaana link - https://gaana.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-season-1 Apple Podcast link - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771 Google Podcast link - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5odWJob3BwZXIuY29tLzkxNmQ3NTdiMGUxZjM3NTk3NjQwN2MxN2M2ODFjNTE0LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiwgOjmjJX6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQVg Podcastindex - https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5687603 PodTail - https://podtail.com/en/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podtail_podcasts Podcast addict - https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4096844 Hubhopper - https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300 https://www.audacy.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-ccbb7 https://podtail.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27430303/ https://www.boomplay.com/podcasts/59201?srModel=COPYLINK&srList=WEB https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stories-from-upanishads-4881609/episodes/recent https://www.scribd.com/podcast-show/598492571/Stories-from-Upanishads https://www.ivoox.com/en/podcast-stories-from-upanishads_sq_f11669529_1.html Stitcher Link - https://www.stitcher.com/show/1076716 Pandora link - https://www.pandora.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/PC:1001076716 blubrry podcast - https://blubrry.com/2491435 This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com. Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com.” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami #upanishads #upanishadquotes #upanishad #upanishadstories #upanishadstudy #upnishads #upnishadganga #vedic #philosophy #vedicphilosophy #sanatandharma #sanatan #hinduism #stories #storiesfromUpanishads #applepodcasts #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #spotifypodcastsindia #googlepodcasts #hubhopper #hubhopperpodcasts #indianpodcast #india #mandukyaupanishad #imdb #vedantaphilosophy #vedanta #advaita #advaitaphilosophy #adishankaracharya #statesofconsciousness #hiranyagarba #viratpurush #vaishvanaara…
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Stories from Upanishads
Dear friends, I am back with the next part of the story - "What are the paths of liberation". The episode will tell you about types of Vaasanaas or desires, what are the fluctuations of the mind and how to control it, what are jivan mukti and Videha mukti. I hope you will love this episode as you have loved the previous part. Please visit the website, https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com, read the blogs, and listen to the earlier episodes. Also, you can shop from ExoticIndia, which houses a great collection of collectibles, rare books and artefacts. Please click on the button "Shop Now" to access the website. Do write to me in my email arghyathinks@gmail.com as many of my listeners often write to me and discuss with me various topics. Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. Excerpts from the Mangal Bhavan are taken from Ramacharitamanas, sung by Anup Jalota. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami #upanishads #upnisads #upanisads #satyamevajayate #podcasts #StoriesfromUpanishads #MundakaUpanishad #NationalMotto #NationalEmblem #Spotify #GaanaPodcast #podcastshow #podcaster #GaanaPodcast #amazonmusicPodcast #spotifypodcast #podcast #podcasting #podcastshow #podcaster #podcastlife #Hubhopper #podtail #googlepodcasts #applepodcasts #podbeanpodcast #upanishads #upanishad #upanishadquotes #upanishadquotes #indianpodcast #indianscriptures #vedic #indianphilosophy #podcastindia #indiapodcast #indiapodcasters #vedicposts #spiritualpodcast #spiritualpodcasts #spiritualpodcasting #upanishad #upnishads…
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Stories from Upanishads
1 Episode 24- What are the paths of liberation? A story of Shri Ramchandra and Hanuman Chapter 1 - From Muktika Upnishad 24:59
Muktika Upanishad is the last of the 108 Upanishads which is derived from Shukla Yajur Veda. I have extracted this story from this upanishad which presents a dialogue between Lord Shree Ramchandra and Lord Hanuman, where in Hanuman asks Lord Ram about the vedanta, upanishads and paths of salvation. This episode features adhyaya 1 or chapter 1 from the Upanishad. Do you know what are the 108 Upanishads? How they are categorised? What are the different shanti mantras of each category of Upanishad? What are the different paths of liberation? What is "Kaivalya", the highest state of emancipation? To know more, please listen to this episode. Please don’t forget to like, subscribe, follow, rate and leave some review comments on my podcast series - Stories from Upanishads and on this episode. Do write to me in my email arghyathinks@gmail.com as many of my listeners often write to me and discuss with me on various topics. Also do visit the exclusive website of my podcast series - "Stories from Upanishads". The url is https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com/ to get some more information in form of blogs, collection of all my previous podcast episodes and an exciting offer from ExoticIndia. ExoticIndia which offers a unique selection of products that reflect the cultural traditions and lifestyle of India. You can directly access their website using the link provided in the button “ Shop now ” in my website. Direct link to Exotic India - https://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/brass/aff11769/…
Satyameva Jayate Na-anrtam - satyena panthaa vitato devayaanah | Yen-aakramanty-rsayo hyaapta-kaamaa - Yatr tat satyasya paramam nidhaanam || Which means - Truth alone triumphs not untruth. By truth is laid out the divine path, which the seers who are free from desires, reach to the supreme abode of truth”. This is story from Mundaka Upanishad and describes a dialogue between Sage Angiras and his student Shaunaka. What are the two types of knowledge? Which one is the lower and which one is the higher? What is Satyam or Truth? Can Aatman and Brahman reside in the same body? Many questions are answered in this story. So hold on tight and enjoy the story from which our national motto was taken. Visit my website: https://www.storiesfromupanishads.com/ Visit ExoticIndia via link:https://www.exoticindiaart.com/sculptures/brass/aff11769/ Spotify link -https://open.spotify.com/show/7cls2BIlQSD9Suyiikz6mo Amazon music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/a5296ad4-00c3-453d-9215-a99466971d20/stories-from-upanishads Gaana link - https://gaana.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-season-1 Apple Podcast link - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771 Google Podcast link - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5odWJob3BwZXIuY29tLzkxNmQ3NTdiMGUxZjM3NTk3NjQwN2MxN2M2ODFjNTE0LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiwgOjmjJX6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQVg Podcastindex - https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5687603 PodTail - https://podtail.com/en/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podtail_podcasts Podcast addict - https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4096844 Hubhopper - https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300 https://www.audacy.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-ccbb7 https://podtail.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27430303/ https://www.boomplay.com/podcasts/59201?srModel=COPYLINK&srList=WEB https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stories-from-upanishads-4881609/episodes/recent https://www.scribd.com/podcast-show/598492571/Stories-from-Upanishads https://www.ivoox.com/en/podcast-stories-from-upanishads_sq_f11669529_1.html #upanishads #upanishadquotes #upanishad #upanishadstories #upanishadstudy #upnishads #upnishadganga #vedic #philosophy #vedicphilosophy #sanatandharma #sanatandharma #hinduism #stories #storiesofupanishads #storiesfromupanishads #applepodcasts #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #spotifypodcastsindia #googlepodcasts #hubhopper #hubhopperpodcasts #indianpodcast #india #prashnaupanishads #imdb #aum #om…
This episode is in continuation of last week's podcast episode on Prashna Upanishad - Shat Prashna. It is a collection of 6 questions asked by 6 different students to their guru Sage Pipalada. In today's episode, the next 3 set of questions and their responses are retold. The 4th question was asked by Gaargya on what is that thing which sleeps when a man sleeps which awakes when he is awakened, who really sees his dreams? The 5th question was asked by Satyakama Saiba on benefits of chanting AUM and how one must recite it. The last question was asked by Sukesha Bharadwaja on 16 parts of Aatman. This episode also has a small snippet from Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's famous bhajan = "Hari Aum Tat Sat" So sit back and enjoy today's episode which is treasured with importance of reciting AUM. Hari Aum Tat Sat on Youtube -https://youtu.be/SzZ-Fm7Q1x0 Spotify link - https://open.spotify.com/show/7cls2BIlQSD9Suyiikz6mo Amazon music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/a5296ad4-00c3-453d-9215-a99466971d20/stories-from-upanishads Gaana link - https://gaana.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-season-1 Apple Podcast link - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771 Google Podcast link - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5odWJob3BwZXIuY29tLzkxNmQ3NTdiMGUxZjM3NTk3NjQwN2MxN2M2ODFjNTE0LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiwgOjmjJX6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQVg Podcastindex - https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5687603 PodTail - https://podtail.com/en/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podtail_podcasts Podcast addict - https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4096844 Hubhopper - https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300 https://www.audacy.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-ccbb7 https://podtail.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27430303/ https://www.boomplay.com/podcasts/59201?srModel=COPYLINK&srList=WEB https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/stories-from-upanishads-4881609/episodes/recent https://www.scribd.com/podcast-show/598492571/Stories-from-Upanishads https://www.ivoox.com/en/podcast-stories-from-upanishads_sq_f11669529_1.html Host feed - This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com . Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com .” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami #upanishads #upanishadquotes #upanishad #upanishadstories #upanishadstudy #upnishads #upnishadganga #vedic #philosophy #vedicphilosophy #sanatandharma #sanatan #hinduism #stories #storiesofUpanishads #applepodcasts #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #spotifypodcastsindia #googlepodcasts #hubhopper #hubhopperpodcasts #indianpodcast #india #prashnaupanishads #imdb…
This is the part 1 of Shat Prashna or 6 questions from Prashna Upanishad. Once 6 hermits named Sukeshaa Bharadwaja, the descendant of Sage Bharadwaja, Saibya Satyakama, the grandson of Surya named Sauryaayani, Gaargya from the line of Garga, Kausalya Aasvalaayana the son of Asvala, Vaidarbhi Bhargava from the line of Bhrigu and Kabandhii Kaatyaana, the great grandson of Kaatya asked the great sage Pippalada 6 various questions. This episode will cover 1st 3 questions which is about Origins of Life, How many Gods are there and which one is the greatest god in human body, How is Praana born? Friends, sit back and listen to my latest episode - Shat Prashna or 6 Questions from Prashna Episode Part 1, in you favorite podcast show "Stories from Upanishads" available on ApplePodcasts, Spotify, AmazonMusic, GooglePodcasts and many other podcast platforms. Spotify link -https://open.spotify.com/show/7cls2BIlQSD9Suyiikz6mo Amazon music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/a5296ad4-00c3-453d-9215-a99466971d20/stories-from-upanishads Gaana link - https://gaana.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-season-1 Apple Podcast link - https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771 Google Podcast link - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5odWJob3BwZXIuY29tLzkxNmQ3NTdiMGUxZjM3NTk3NjQwN2MxN2M2ODFjNTE0LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiwgOjmjJX6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQVg Podcastindex - https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5687603 PodTail - https://podtail.com/en/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podtail_podcasts Podcast addict - https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4096844 Hubhopper - https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300 #upanishads #upanishadquotes #upanishad #upanishadstories #upanishadstudy #prashnaupanishad #upnishads #upnishads #upnishadganga #vedic #philosophy #vedicphilosophy #sanatandharma #sanatan #hinduism #stories #storiesofUpanishads #applepodcasts #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #spotifypodcastsindia #googlepodcasts #hubhopper #hubhopperpodcasts #indianpodcast #india…
This is a story from Chandogya Upanishad. In this story devarishi Narada seeks teachings from his brother and sage Sanatkumara on how to attain infinite happiness or Bhumaiva Sukham. This episode also touches upon an another interesting story about Sanatkumar and Lord Shiva. So dear friends, sit tight for an another interesting episode on Stories from Upanishads. Please subscribe, follow, like, download or put in your review comments. Some of the links of my podcast on the various players are - Spotify link - https://open.spotify.com/show/7cls2BIlQSD9Suyiikz6mo Amazon music: https://music.amazon.in/podcasts/a5296ad4-00c3-453d-9215-a99466971d20/stories-from-upanishads Gaana link - https://gaana.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads-season-1 Apple Podcast link - https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/my-podcasts/show/stories-from-upanishads/2617f637-1e90-4e6a-b01f-c6f312ebe77b Google Podcast link - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5odWJob3BwZXIuY29tLzkxNmQ3NTdiMGUxZjM3NTk3NjQwN2MxN2M2ODFjNTE0LnJzcw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ9sEGahcKEwiwgOjmjJX6AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQVg Podcastindex - https://podcastindex.org/podcast/5687603 PodTail - https://podtail.com/en/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/id1645159771?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=podtail_podcasts Podcast addict - https://podcastaddict.com/podcast/4096844 Hubhopper - https://hubhopper.com/podcast/stories-from-upanishads/406300 #podcast #podcasting #jupitrr_audio #jupitrr #Spotify #GaanaPodcast #podcastshow #podcaster #GaanaPodcast #amazonmusicPodcast #spotifypodcast #podcast #podcasting #podcastshow #podcaster #podcastlife #Hubhopper #podtail #googlepodcasts #applepodcasts #podbeanpodcast #upanishads #upanishad #upanishadquotes #upanishadquotes #indianpodcast #indianscriptures #vedic #indianphilosophy #podcastindia #indiapodcast #indiapodcasters #vedicposts #spiritualpodcast #spiritualpodcasts #spiritualpodcasting #upanishad #upnishads #hinduism…
What are desires? What are dreams? How does the soul transmigrate? Is Self Indeed Brahman? Is Self the light for the man, when there is no sun, moon or fire? All these questions are answered in the episode - Yagnavalkya and King Janaka part 2, which is the concluding part of the question and answer session between the two learned men from ancient India. This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com . Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com .” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources such as pixebay with royalty free rights, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami…
BU presents most of the stories from the life of the ancient vedic sage Yagnavalkya and many of them also feature King Janaka of Videha. Today's story is part 1 of never ending conversation between the Sage and the King. In this story, the king learns about Speech, Sight, Hearing, Vital Force, Mind and Heart are forms of Supreme Brahman! Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com .” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Ananda Shankar - Subh the Auspicious, - Internet Archives Boom - geomorphic Cinematic trailer, - Pixabay.com Dark Sad Ambient Piano Pixabay.com Asian Ceremony - Internet Archives Prank - Pixabay.com Sitar and Tanpura - Internet Archives Synth Bass - Apple Loops Indian Dreams Sitar - Apple Loops Country Fun - Pixabay.com Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami Co-narrated by : Jiniya Goswami…
What is immortality? Knowing that “ Truth ” itself is " Immortality "! Freedom from all fears is " Immortality "! Fear of death, fear of poverty, fear of insecurity, fear of pain and sorrow, fear of losing a near one, fear of unknown, beyond these fears lies " immortality ". Why do we love our spouse, parents or children? We love our spouse, parents and our children not because we love them rather because we love ourselves. We love our " Self " or " Aatman "! The “ Self ” or “ Aatman ” is everything! Everything springs from the “ Self ”, it dissolves in It and remains imbued with It during continuance, for it cannot be perceived apart from the “ Self ”. Therefore everything is “ Self ”! Just as a lump of salt when dissolve completely in water and cannot be taken out of it again, but the salt makes every drop of that water salty, similarly, does the individual " Self or Aatman " dissolves into the limitless “ Being ” or " Brahman " and cannot be separated from it. Although that “ Being ” itself carries in it the essence of every individual " Self ". After death, there is no body and once the body is no more, the " Self " or " Aatman " dissolves into " Brahman " and there is nothing to perceive! The means of immortality is the knowledge of the “ Aatman ”, with the renunciation of everything as part of it. When “ That ” is known, whole universe is known. It is dearer than everything else, hence it must be realised when it is heard from a spiritual teacher or guru and reflected through reasoning or logical contemplation. Our bodies are a powerhouse of energy, which helps us to sustain throughout our lifetime. When our body dies, this energy is released and becomes a part of the energy that sustains the world. This energy helps plants to grow, animals to reproduce, earth and other planets stay in their individual orbits, bring atoms together to make molecules and everything and anything else in this universe. It is the same vibrant energy in all organisms and celestial bodies although it is so fabulously diverse array of bodies, shapes and forms. That cosmic energy, has been around since before the earth existed, is the reason the world exists and will be there well after the universe is gone. So realise that “ You ” are the cosmic energy, it stands to reason that " You " will be around forever. This is immortality, at least feels like immortality. Let's find out in today's story on Yagnavalkya and Maitreyi. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com . Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com .” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “ Messages of the Upanishads ” by Swami Ranganathanada, “ The Brihdaaaranyaka Upanishad ” by Swami Madhavananda, “ Eight Upanishads ” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org , “ Vedas and Upanishads for Children ” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami Co-narrated by : Jiniya Goswami…
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Stories from Upanishads
My dear friends and listeners, it’s been a while I could upload any new episode. The reason being multiple, but here I am with a new story from the Upanishads. Before I begin, my earnest request to you to follow, subscribe, like, share and download my podcast. It will immensely help me to keep going and provide you with these contents. Also please do write to me at my email address arghyathinks@gmail.com. I receive emails from my listeners and we discuss lot of things and often goes into a discovery session on various questions. It’s real fun and interesting. Today’s story is a follow up or continuation stories from three characters on which I have already told you earlier. Pravahana’s story was discussed in Episode 14 i.e. Story of 3 friends - Pravahana, Silaka and Chaikitayana and Uddalaka Aaruni and Shwetaketu’s story was discussed in Episode 15 - Tat Tvam Asi - Story of Uddalaka Aaruni and Shwetaketu. I would highly recommend you to listen to them to understand the continuity. As per the book - The character of the Self in Ancient India by Brian Black brings in portrayal of character contributes in philosophical position of the texts. Such as the character of Shwetaketu, which has been mentioned in the Brihaddarankya Upanishad, Chhandogya Upanishads and Kausitaki Upanishad. As per Upanishadic researcher Patrick Olivelle, there are variations in the character and presentation and different Upanishads present the same story in a different ways. He argues that this variation in presentation is deliberate and that each version has its own narrative logic. So different portrayals of Shwetaketu and Pravahana Jaivali in different Upanishads tells us something about the overall stance. Olivelle concluded that Brihaadaaranyaka Upanishad favors the east and is critical about Kuru-Paanchala Brahmins and presents Shwetaketu as a rude and spoiled brahmin. However in Chhandogya Upanishad the portrayal is more conservative and presents the story of Shwetaketu and Uddalaka Aaruni more positively. Thus portrayal of certain characters in the Upanishads is a part of narrative strategy and political positioning of the texts. If incase you have not listened to my story of Tat Tvam Asi, please do listen to that episode. In Brihaadaaranyaka and Chhandogya Upanishad, Shwetaketu’s story introduces the teachings of five fires and the two paths whereas in Kausitaki Upanishad it introduces the doctrine of the path to heaven. Another important point to note is that in CU seem to emphasize on the formal instructions between the teacher and student more such as Story of Tat Tvam Asi. BU focuses mostly on debates such as stories of Yaagnavalkya. Today’s story is featured in Brihaadaaranyaka Upanishad Chapter 6, section 2. Chronologically this story falls after episode 15, when Shwetaketu gained the knowledge of Tat Tvam Asi from his father Uddalaka Aaruni. As per book - “ Political History of Ancient India ” by Hemchandra Raychaudhuri, Pravahana Jaivali was a Paanchaala king and contemporary to King Janaka of Videha. We have already heard his story when he and his two other friends exchanged their experiences of Brahman and how he brought out the significance of Om. As a king Pravahana was a good ruler and was ruling his kingdom as per the ancient Hindu Polity as explained by Bheeshma in Shanti Parva of Mahabharata. Pravahana was a man of action, knower of truth and a preceptor of Aatman. As we have seen that courtroom of King Janaka of Videha was filled with scholars and well-versed brahmins, so was King Pravahana’s courtroom. It was also filled with innumerable eminent scholars and brahmins questing for fame, name and money. Today’s story begins from the point when Shwetaketu weaponised with the knowledge of vedas and true knowledge from his father about Brahman comes to King Pravahana’s courtroom. Completely drenched in arrogance about the knowledge of vedas and Brahman, which he used as a means to measure other’s knowledge, asks the guards of the courtroom seeking to see the king. The guards informed the king about Shwetaketu’s arrival. Pravahana knew about the deadly pride, which has coiled Shwetaketu completely like a python. He also knew that this will not bring any fame rather will only aid in his downfall. So he decided to teach him a lesson. He asked the guards to bring him in the courtroom. As Shwetaketu entered boldly, he saw great scholars, wise men and courtmen sitting in the courtroom. They were all looking at him. They were curious to know about what will happen next. Shwetaketu burned with his pride didn’t bother to pay much heed to these great scholars and rather walked up straight to the king. The king smiled and without showing much respect said - “Oh boy! Have you been taught by your father?” King Pravahana being a Kshatriya, addressing a Brahmin in this manner was quite unexpected. This shook Shwetaketu and other brahmins in the court room. Taken a back, Shwetaketu replied - “Yes sir!” “If you have a doubt, please question me!” The king nodded and smiled and thought for a while. Then he asked the brahmin - “Do you know how it is that the beings travel over different paths after death? How they would return to this world? Shwetaketu was not expecting such a question. He had no idea on what he would respond to. So he said -“No sir, I don’t know about it!” The king asked his next question - “How is it that the world of the dead is never filled although many die and pass away?” Before Shwetaketu could answer anything, the king asked his next question -“ How does the water that is offered as oblation rises and speaks with the human voice as it were?” The king continued his next question - “What is Devayana that is access to the way of the gods and Pitriyana or the access to the way of the manes and how does one gain access to them?” Then the king continued, we have heard the words of the mantra from the sages - Dwe suti ashri-na-vam pitrinaa - Maham devaa-naa-mut matyaarnaam, Taabhya-midam vishwa-me-jatsameti, Yadantra Pitram Maatram cha || iti; Naahamat ekanchan vedeti howach|| Which means - I have heard of two routes for men, leading to the gods and to then manes. Going along with them all this is united. They lie between the father i.e. heaven and the mother i.e earth. Shwetaketu was completely stumped, he was at the loss of words and could only nod and said “Sir, I dont know them!” These questions pertained to the secret lore of the Kshatriyas, and had been jealously guarded by them as Raajaguhya or royal secret. Completely uprooted Shwetaketu stood there in the courtroom not knowing what to do next. The king invited him to stay. He asked the court ladies to bring water for washing his feet and customary offerings for the respected guests. Shwetaketu rejected the invite and hurried away from the court room. Boiling with anger, he came back to his father the Sage Uddalaka Aaruni. He was so angry that he didn’t even greeted his parents. The sage knew something was cooking up. Shwetaketu asked his father - “Father, how do you say that you have taught me everything, every branch of knowledge?” Sage asked - “What happened my child? You seemed to be hurt by someone” Angry Shwetaketu roared - “That wretched Kshatriya King Pravahana asked me questions and I didn’t know the answers to any one of them! See how I am disgraced in the court room filled with scholars and learned men and women. I could not answer even one question asked by that Kshatriya and it is all because of you!” Then Shwetaketu told his father about the questions which the king had asked! On hearing these questions, the sage told his son - “My child, believe me, I have taught you everything I knew of. As far as Pravahana’s questions unfortunately I too don’t have complete answers to them. That’s why they weren’t taught to you.” Let me propose you something my child, let us both go to the king’s court as a seeker of truth and as students. Shwetaketu was adamant, and refused to go as he thought he was humiliated by the king in the courtroom. He could not bear any single moment in that courtroom. After repeated pleading, the sage failed to convince his son. Uddalaka decided to go alone. He went to the courtroom of the king and with all humility greeted all the scholars and the king. The reception that awaited him was entirely different. The king gave him a seat, washed his feet, and made him the reverential offerings of cattle and horses. With all humility he told the king - “I am grateful to you my king, for all the honour and offer of gifts! But I haven’t come here for the sake of gifts. I have come here to seek the answers to the questions you have asked my son Shwetaketu. Please grant me the treasure of knowledge, which is far superior than any type of treasure or wealth! I approach you as a student my king! The king was deeply touched by the sage’s humility and hunger for his knowledge. He knew that it is this sincerity which qualifies the seeker to the reception of the knowledge of Brahman. With folded hands the King told the sage - “O Sage Uddalaka, please do not take offence with us. This learnings were never shared with the Brahmins in the past. However, your sincerity and humility is pristine as your earnestness is also excellent and which has won my heart, so I shall teach you about it. So please listen to the answers.” The king continued, but he started responding to the fourth question first as this would bring out the solution to the other questions. He started explaining Panchaagni Vidya that is the knowledge of five fires. Friends Panchaagni Vidya is also mentioned in Chhandogya Upanishads in Chapter 5 and also in BU. This knowledge or Vidya presents the symbolic Agni or fire is the object of meditation and has 5 important aspects to it and they are three worlds i.e. heaven, earth and intermediate space, man and woman. This knowledge or Vidya is taught in connection with the ‘Doctrine of Transmigration of Souls’ as the ‘Doctrine of decent’. The Panchaagni Vidya or the Knowledge of the 5 fires explains how the body is linked to the universe and why the mind’s true nature is to manifest its will in the universe. The Five Fires, called the Panchaagnis, are not physical fires but meditation techniques. The Fire, here, is symbolic of a sacrifice which one performs through contemplation. 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 or Paanchaagni. In CU, it conceives the entire universal activity of creation as a Yagna or Sacrifice, where everything is connected. This sacrifice knowledge is known as Panchaagni Vidya. Coming back to the story, the king began is Panchaagni Vidya with the first fire i.e, Swargaloka- “O sage, that Swarga or heaven is a fire and of that fire , the sun is the fuel or Samit or sacrificial stick, the rays of the sun are its smoke, the days its flames, the four quarters its cinder and the intermediate quarters are its sparks. In this fire the gods offer faith and out of that offering King Moon is born.” Here what is meant is that heaven is the first fire and sun is the fuel to that fire because the sun illuminates the heaven. The rays its smoke because of its similarity of rising from the fuel, for the rays emanate from the sun, and smoke as we know it comes out from the fuel. The day its flame, because both are bright! Due to sun, the day shines brightly so are the flames which shines brightly. The four quarters are its cinder, because both present a pacified state as it is like a space where there is no heat or lustre. The intermediate quarters its sparks, because they are scattered like sparks. In this fire of heaven possess such attributes, the gods i.e. Indra offer faith as oblation. When Agnihotra is performed, the jivas become Soma Raja I,e, King Moon and enter swargaloka or heaven. Thus out of that offering King moon which are king of manes and Brahmins are born. Then the king continued to explain about the second fire which is Parjanya - Parjanya the god of rain is a fire, the year is its fuel, the clouds its smoke, lightening its flame, thunder its cinder, and the rumblings its sparks. In this fire the gods offer Soma Raja or the King Moon. Out of that offering rain is produced.” This means - the second receptacle of the two oblations in the order of their return is Parjanya which is fire. The year is its fuel, for this fire Parjanya is kindled by that as it revolves with its parts commencing with autumn and ending with summer. The clouds its smoke, being produced from smoke, or because of its cloudy appearance. Lightning its flame, since both are luminous. Thunder its cinder, because both represent a pacified state and are hard. The rumblings of the clouds its sparks, because both scatter and are numerous. In this receptacle of the two oblations the gods, those very priests mentioned earlier, offer King Moon, who was produced out of the offering of ‘faith’ in the fire of heaven, he is offered in the second fire, that of Parjanya and out of that offering of the moon, rain is produced. The King now started explaining about the third fire. - “This world is a fire, the earth is its fuel, fire its smoke, the night is its flame, the moon its cinder, and stars its sparks. In this fire the gods offer rain. Out of that offerings, food is produced. In this the king meant is the world where all creatures are born and experience the results of their past deeds, it contains of actions, its factors and its results. This world is the third fire. The earth is the fuel for this fire as it is kindled by the earth which is provided with numerous materials for enjoyment of living beings. Fire is its smoke, as they both rise above from their abode that is the earth. The night is its flame because both are created when they come in contact with the fuel. That means as flame is produced by the contact of fuel with fire, so is the night by the contact of the fuel of the earth, for the earth’s shadow is called the darkness of the night. The moon is the cinder and is created from flames. The cinder produced from the flames and so is the moon in the night because both represents the pacified state. The stars its sparks because both scatter. The food is produced only when there is adequate rain fall so food is produced from rain. Again the king continued to explain about the fourth fire. “The Man is the fourth fire, O sage, the open mouth is its fuel. The vital force is its smoke, speech is its flames, the eyes is its cinder and the ears its sparkle. In this fire the gods offer food. Out of that offering seed is produced.” This verse explains the fourth fire, which is a man. The open mouth of a man is the fuel as through it a man shines in speech, study the scriptures as fire is with fuel. The vital force rises from the mouth, and is the smoke. The speech is the flames as speech signifies an object where as flames reveals things all around. Eyes is its cinders as both represents the pacified state. The forms of vital forces are the gods and they put in the food for man and the outcome of that food is the seed. As a man when is adult and received complete nourishment are ready to have reproductory building blocks such as sperm and an egg which acts as a seed, thus seed is the outcome of the food. Now the king tells sage Uddalaka Aaruni about the fifth fire. “Women are the fifth fire. In this fire the gods offer seed and out of that offering a man is born. He lives as long as he is destined to live.” Here the king explained that the women are the fifth fire and when gods offer seed and a man is born from it. This means that, seeds such as sperm or eggs in the uterus when come together, fuses to give birth to a human being. That man will live as long as he is destined to live. Just to tie up the explanations of the Panchaagni, we can think of this as a sequential set of occurrences on how a life is born in its mother’s womb. This process starts when the Jiva which has ascended to the heaven by the virtue of good deeds and when those merits are exhausted, descend to the earth to take up another life in form of rains. Then the Self ends a food grain of a growing plant which has grown because of the rains. This food grain when consumed by a man enters the blood stream and eventually turns into sperm. Finally when after sexual intercourse the seminal fluid along with the Jiva enters the woman’s womb and gets embodied. Friends don’t you think our ancient sages and writers of Upanishads were way advanced in all streams of science including gynaecology. They could think of complex scientific phenomenon and explain them through spiritualistic verses. Amazing isn’t it! The king didn’t stop after this, rather he continued - “Then when the man dies, his dead body is offered to the fire. As this lifeless body burns in the pyre fire, the smoke from his burning tissues rise above so this fire becomes his fire, the fuel his fuel, the smoke his smoke, the flame his flame, the cinder his cinder and the sparks his sparks. As the dead body completely burns and turns into ashes. In this fire, the gods offer the man and out of that offering the man emerges radiant that means the man burning on the pyre becomes exceedingly bright as his lifeless body ferociously burns out, having been purified by all the rites performed from his birth till his death. After explaining all the Panchaagni to Uddalakha, the king started explaining further. As long as the house holders or people who are in Grihastya do not know either the meditation on the five fires or the Satya-brahman, they are born from the fire of woman when the fifth oblation beginning with that of faith has been offered in order and again perform rites like the Agnihotra, with a view to attaining the other world. Through those rites they again go through the world of manes, passing in order the deity of smoke etc. and again return, passing in order the rain-god and so forth. Then they are again born of the fire of the woman, again perform rites and so on rotating constantly like a potter’s wheel by their comings and goings between this world and the next. But when the householder or Grihastya know the meditation on five fire, they are freed from the rotation and reach the flame, which is the deity identified with flame and called by that name, who is stationed in the northern route. They reach him, for monks have no direct relation to the flame. Since there is no restriction with with regard to the time of death, so day is the deity of the day. Death occurs as soon as the term or contract of life is over. There is no rule that knowner of this meditation can die at daytime or those who must die at night. After deity of the day, they reach the deity of the bright fortnight and then reaches the six months in which the sun travels northwards which is the June Solstice when the sun rises considerably north of due east and sets considerably north of due west. Being conducted by these deities, they reach the deity identified with the world of gods. Then they reach the sun, from sun they reach the deity identified with lightning. As they reach the deity of lightening, a being created from the mind of Hiranyagarbha, a denizen of his world, comes and conducts them to the worlds of Hiranyagarba. Once reaching the worlds of Hiranyagarbha, they do not return to this world. 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 King continued his explanation - “While those who conquer the worlds through sacrifices such as Agnihotra, charity, which is distribution of gifts among poors and needy outside the altar and austerity such as Krcchra and Chandrayana without initiation, outside the altar reach the deity of smoke. All the deities are conductors and help to reach to the next deity in the order. From the deity of the night to the deity of the fortnight in which the moon wanes, to the deities of 6 months in which the sun moves southwards which is the December Solstice when the sun rises considerably south of due east and sets considerably south of due west. From this they reach the deity of the world of manes, and from him the moon. On reaching moon they become food for the gods to enjoy them. As the priests drink in sacrifices the shining soma rasa or juice. Similarly the gods too enjoy the ritualist who have got new bodies in the moon ad have become the materials of their luxury, giving them frequent intervals of rest by rewarding them in accordance to their past work. When their past work, sacrifices, charities and austerities are exhausted they reach the ether or space. Then those ritualist living in the air, are blown hither and thither by the east-wind. Then from air they reach the rain and fall to the earth as rain. The rain aids in growing of the crops and plants which becomes food. The food is eaten by the man and woman and produce seeds such as semen and eggs for reproduction. When they are born again, they perform rites such as Agnihotra with a view to go to other worlds. Then they move repeatedly between the moon and the world, passing in the order as mentioned earlier. The ritualist continuously rotate in this manner as a potters wheel until they know about Brahman, so as to attain the Northern way or immediate liberation. The ones who do not practice either meditation or rites to attain Northern Way or Southern Way become insects and mothes and other lower creatures such as gnats and mostquitoes. This last transmigratory existence is very painful and is extremely hard for one who has fallen into it and get out of it. Friends, note the word “Worlds” in plural which means it has two planes, higher and lower. Is it a concept of ‘multi-verse’? The purport of these verses is to try our best to give up natural pursuit of work and knowledge and practise those rites or meditation which are enjoined by the scriptures and are the means of attaining Northern or Southern ways which are the two paths. The first path is the path of light called Devayana and other path is the path of darkness, called Pitriyana or Dhoomayana. They respectively correspond to the day and night and also referred to as Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. The knower of Brahman all seasons and time are same, for to him it is only the home-coming of the spirit. When a person returns to his real home, it hardly matters whether it is day or night or what season of the year it is. 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. The land of the deal never fills up because those who travel by Devayana lose their individuality and become one with Brahman, if they are gradually able to realise Brahman by Krama-mukti. The significance of sacrifice is that this Agnihotra which is the process of yagna of casting of various sacrifices into the fire alter, is Adhyatmik, with a spiritual dimension. The sense of Brahman as felt in the human heart is the hotree, the officiating priest of the entire sacrifice. The oblations of water goes up as faith, Shraddha and is offered as nectar or soma rasa to the Shining Ones. That is how it speaks with a human voice as it were, on behalf of one who offers it. The significance of such a cosmic Agnihotra is that it enablesone to meditate on Satya Brahman. Thereby one may attain the abode of Brahman - Brahmaloka where one lives foreover and does not return to this world. After getting enriched by this knowledge Sage Uddalaka Aaruni profusely thanked the king Pravahna for enlighting him about the great mystery of Brahman. It dissolved all his doubts and got answers to all the questions. Before leaving the courtroom, the Sage salute the king - “Namo Gurubhyo Namo Gurubhyah” Friends, across Upanishads you may have noticed that True Knowledge is not confined to Brahmins and scholars only. There are numerous accounts and stories in which true knowledge of brahman is actually given by a Kshatriya or someone else. We have seen that in Story of King Janasruti and the cart puller Raiwa. In the story of Satyakama, he was taught about Brahman by non-human entities. So true knowledge can reside in anyone. We are all container of knowledge and it is really upto us how we decide to use it and spread it. There is no castism in true knowledge. The true knowledge is a blue ocean where, we are the aquatic animals and plants, swimming in it. It is really upto us how much we can make use of it just like some fishes stay as a bottom dwellers throughout its lifetime and never gets to see or experience what it is like at the surface of the ocean. Similarly there are many aquatic animals who dwell only at the surface and never goes to the bottom and it always remain a mystery for them. The real king are those fishes which can travel across from surface to the Bottom such as a Shark and can experience the waters everywhere. So let us swim through this ocean of knowledge and let us not be confined only to an area rather swim across and gain as much as knowledge we can. This is what this story of Uddalaka Aaruni and King Pravhana tell us. The sage being a learned and respected brahmin left all his ego and went to the king as a student, seeking knowledge and in the end he honored the king by calling him a Guru or a teacher. So that was today’s episode from BU and I hope you liked it. Now let me ask today’s questions from the story - What had made Shwetaketu arrogant and proud? What is Devayana and Pitriyana? What are the five fires or Paachaagni? Please email me your answers to ‘ arghyathinks@gmail.com " and I will look out for your responses. Until then…. ======================================================================================================== New episode "Story of King Pravahan, Sage Uddalakha Aaruni and Shwetaketu" is now available in all major podcast launchers. #podcast #indianpodcast #upanishads #upanishad #upanishadquotes #vedanta #spirituality #tattwamasi #indianpodcast #spotifypodcast #spotifypodcasts #primepodcast #amazonprimepodcasts #gaanapodcast #podbeanpodcast #jiosaavnpodcasts #jiosaavn #acastpodcast #listennotespodcast #tuneinpodcasts #bullhornpodcast #podkicker #pocketcasts #pocketcastpodcast #pocketcast #addictedtopodcasts #podcastaddict #podcastindex #podtail #fyyd #fyydpodcast ========================================================================================================== Host feed - This podcast was created on Hubhopper studio. If you wish to start your own podcast for free, visit www.hubhopperstudio.com . Hubhopper is India's leading podcast creation platform. Start your podcast with Hubhopper studio & get your voice heard across platforms like Spotify, Gaana, Google podcasts, Wynk Music and more. Click on the link in the episode description or visit www.hubhopperstudio.com .” Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Music - Happy Days 1230821 documentary background 119940.1 soft-ambient -10782.1 creepy-crime-sound-7541 boom geomorphism cinematic trailer thriller ambient 14563.1 morning garden acoustic chill horror game score suspense strings 001 wav-14805 endless beauty main 11545 Please calm my mind 125566 my little garden of eden 112845 hopeful piano 112621 deep in the dell 126916 Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami…
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Stories from Upanishads
Podcast Credits - The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Credits, Acknowledgements and Source Contents Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit. Music - https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2021/08/09/audio_6b294070f5.mp3?filename=forest-with-small-river-birds-and-nature-field-recording-6735.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/10/13/audio_2f54f9f4b8.mp3?filename=the-winter-fall-by-prabajithk-122683.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/07/04/audio_477fb4c391.mp3?filename=sunrise-114326.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/11/23/audio_af8f60c3a6.mp3?filename=deep-in-the-dell-126916.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/02/18/audio_b3c6f0c96f.mp3?filename=always-with-me-always-with-you-long-21256.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/02/07/audio_fe3203e65a.mp3?filename=greenfield-birds-suburban-sounds-in-the-background-16683.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/03/09/audio_bc2ea94e5e.mp3?filename=bees-and-other-insects180527-24412.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/11/11/audio_84306ee149.mp3?filename=please-calm-my-mind-125566.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/08/02/audio_884fe92c21.mp3?filename=inspiring-cinematic-ambient-116199.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/03/09/audio_0dda787382.mp3?filename=birds-in-the-morning-24147.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/03/09/audio_05483e3d6e.mp3?filename=shining-neural-network-26727.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/08/18/audio_6999ee78e1.mp3?filename=strong-117533.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/10/24/audio_75bc71dae3.mp3?filename=boom-geomorphism-cinematic-trailer-sound-effects-123876.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/07/25/audio_25c05ffd84.mp3?filename=sitar-in-the-moonlight-115602.mp3 https://pixabay.com/ https://cdn.pixabay.com/download/audio/2022/10/11/audio_d28d2bedf8.mp3?filename=ghost-dark-beat-halloween-122461.mp3 about:client https://ia600201.us.archive.org/4/items/ImcOnairPresents...Microtonalityshruti-sInHindustaniSangeet2008_20/20081104_2100_IMCpresents-MICROTONALITY-in-Hindustani-Sangeet-part3-1.mp3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Transcript of the Podcast ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tat Tvam Asi - That Art Thou - Story of Uddalaka and Shwetaketu Dear friends and listeners, today’s episode is very important as it talks about the one of the four Mahavaakya’s mentioned in the Upanishads. Tat Tvam Asi - which means “That Art Thou” or “That is you!” Today’s story is about the great Vedic sage Uddalaka Aaruni and his son Shwetaketu. This story is mentioned in Chaandogya Upanishad, 6th Prapathaka or section. Before we start today’s story a bit about both the principle characters. Sage Uddalaka is mentioned in many philosophical discussions mentioned in both Chaandogya and Brihaadaaranyaka upanishad, which are two of the oldest Upanishads. He lived few centuries before Gautama Buddha and was one of the most well known Vedic teacher and guru. It is believed that he lived around 7th Centuary BCE. According to Ben-Ami Scharfstein, a professor emeritus of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, Uddalaka Aruni was one of the first philosophers in recorded history . Debiprasad Chattopadhyay, the famous marxist philosopher established him as the first “ Natural Scientist ” in the intellectual history of the world. He was the first ever sage to find out that the world, including human beings, is fundamentally made up of three elements, food, water and heat, in fact today we’ll learn about it in much detail. Uddalaka Aaruni was a descendant of Gautama lineage from Kuru-Panchala region. He was pupil of his father Sage Aruna and Patanchala Kaapya. He defeated Prāaciīnayogya Śauceya and likely Bhadrasena Ājātaśatrava in debate. Friends, please dont get confused with Ajatashatru here, Bhadrasena Ajaatasatrava was a brahmin priest at the time of Uddalaka Aruni and Yaagnavalkya, much earlier than the king Ajaatashatru. You may remember that in my earlier episode in which I talked about the debate between Yaagnavalkya and Gargi Vachaknavi, I briefly spoke about Uddalaka Aaruni and how he was defeated by Yaagnavalkya in King Janaka’s symposium. Ironically sage Uddalaka Aaruni was the teacher or guru of Yaagnavalkya. Sometimes in many scriptures he was called Vajashravas. Now let me bring some controversy before I being today’s story! As per the various Puranas and scriptures it is not very clear that Vajasravas was Uddalaka Aaruni as there may be some differences between the names Auddalaki Aaruni and Uddalaki Aaruni. As per Max Muller, the renowned indologist at Oxford, claims them to be different person! However, as per him,… Adi Shankaracharya considered them to be same Aaruni in his bhasya or commentries on Upanishads. If we believe in Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary then, Sage Uddalaka Aaruni is Sage Vajasravas and he had 3 children named Nachiketa, Shwetaketu and Sujata. We all know Nachiketa’s story from Katha Upanishad. If not, please do listen to my retelling of the famous story in this podcast series. If we believe in Max Muller’s theory, then Uddalaka Aaruni was a different sage from the same lineage of Sage Vajasravas who was father of Nachiketa. Another controversy, it is also believed that Shwetaketu was not a biological child of Sage Uddalaka Aaruni. It is believed that the Sage practiced Niyoga, in which a woman has a man other than her husband father a child with her, either because her husband is unable to father a child or because he’s dead. This story is kind of touched in Adi Parva of Mahabharata during a conversation between Kunti and Pandu before the divine births of their children through Niyoga with Lord Dharma, Vaayu, Indra, and the Ashvinikumars. There are many confusion in such off-shoot stories in various scriptures as we also know that Uddalaka Aaruni’s daughter was Sujata, who was married to Sage Kahoda and the famous deformed sage Ashtavaakra was the son of Sujata and Kahoda. Let me now talk about a bit about Shwetaketu, son of Sage Uddalaka Aaruni and he is known for many things. He was the one who abolished polyandry, the practice of a wife having multiple husbands, as described in the Aadi Parva of the Mahabharata. (A husband having multiple wives, on the other hand, is a well-established practice). And he was the uncle of the famous sage Ashtavaakra, the purported author of the Ashtavaakra Gita. And he is said to have written a text which formed the basis of a certain work of Vatsayaana. Shwetaketu has been referenced across several Upanishads, He is referenced in Brihaadaaranya Upanishad, Chaandogya Upanishd and also in Kausitaki Upanishad. So, my dear friends let’s concentrate on today’s story. Today’s episode is an ode to the great sage Uddalaka and his Mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi” . Sage Uddalaka had a son name Shwetaketu. Until the age of 12 he was like a normal child, spending his time playing with his friends, playing pranks on others and was having a gala time of his life. The great sage thought that it was time when Shwetaketu must be initiated into Brahminhood and must be sent to a gurukul for learning and understanding Vedic scriptures. One day, the sage called upon young Shwetaketu and told - “Soumya, there has never being one in our family who is a Brahmin by birth. All of our ancestors were well versed in Vedic scriptures and I think so you should be!” Shwetaketu like an obedient son, agreed and went away to a gurukul of Sandeepan Muni. He spent 12 long years learning Vedas and other Vedic scriptures which was an achievement in itself. It was a popular belief then, that one can learn all four vedas and other Vedic scriptures in 48 years however, Shwetaketu was able to learn them in just 12 years. He had grown into a handsome man with somewhat arrogant with his supreme achievement, self-assured and bit of swagger. He considered himself to be the master of vedas. When he returned home from the his tutelage, he touched the feet of his mother and father. The Sage now asked his son - “Soumya, what will you do next?” Shwetaketu grinned and said -“Next…I want to win the symposiums and debates in King Janaka of Videha’s courtroom.” As soon as he said that, the Sage understood that his son was sinking into the quicksand of amour propre . So he wanted to bring him back into the paths of humility and non-arrogance. He was aware that Brahmagyaana and pride were highly incompatible. A person stricken with egoism and pride cannot realise the Self or Brahman! So the sage decided to teach his son. He asked him -“Soumya, I believe you are now familiar with that wisdom, by which you can hear the unheard, think the unthought and know the unknown?” On hearing such a question from his dad, Shwetaketu was taken aback. It seemed that his knowledge of scriptures was superficial and couldn’t grasp the import of his father’s question. He wondered how it was possible that the unknown, unheard, and unthinkable could come within the reach of thought and mind! Puzzled and shaken, he asked his father - “O my revered father, I thought I had learnt and discovered a lot in the past 12 years. But…I am afraid that I am not familiar with the wisdom you are asking? Perhaps my acharyas and gurus in the gurukul never taught me this! I believe it will be best if you tell me about that!” Saying that Shwetaketu sat at his father’s feet with folded hands and looked at him eagerly. Uddalaka was happy to see his son, so eager to learn. He understood that his hunger for knowledge is still there and not crushed under the weight of his arrogance. Uddalaka said - “I will tell you my son! Follow me please.” Then the sage took his son outside his house into the lush green fields and sat down at a spot where a lump of clay was lying. He smiled and said to his son -“It is like this, son, if you know well the essence of something , you will. “Know” everything that carries that essence. Even if it takes on hundreds of forms and shapes or may bear thousands of different names.” Then he picked up a lump of clay in his hands and said -“ Soumya, for instance, by knowing the lump of clay, its texture, its feel, how it moves on a wheel of the potter or how it forms shapes with your hand, you can create thousands of articles from it. You may not know all of their names or even know them but in essence, what you must always know that it is always made of clay! It is clay. So clay is the cause where as articles made from clay such as a clay pot is the effect.” Uddalaka paused a while, Shwetaketu nodded and looked still bit confused. Uddalaka continued - “Okay, let me give you another example. By knowing just one trinket made of copper, one knows and understands everything else made of copper. Everything else has different names, just a name, have different forms, which is just a form, but in reality the truth is it is copper. Similarly Saumya, if you observe any object made of iron, one understands everything else made of iron. It may have different names and forms but in reality it is only iron. If you take a lump of gold, and melt it to make beautiful ornaments. Then if we melt it again, they would reduce to their original form that is a lump of gold. Thus gold is the cause where as whatever the goldsmith makes are its effects. It is like this, Soumya, by understanding the one true reality of the universe, you understand every other thing in the universe. Never mind that it is present in millions of forms and names.” Shwetaketu sat up straight, looking very inquisitive and eager to understand further. He said - “That makes a lot of sense Bhagwaan. But all those wise men and acharyas never told me or taught me about this one supreme reality, the one universal essence, that is by understanding which everything in the universe may be understood. Please tell me more father. I am eager to know about it!” Friends just a small break here, doesn’t it feel you warm and fuzzy, that Uddalaka the teacher in this case addresses Shwetaketu as Soumya that means - dear one! In Upanishads, most of the times the teacher address their students as “Soumya” and the student addresses the teacher as “Bhagwaan” - powerful, respected, worshipped and blessed. This indicates the mutual relationship between a student and the teacher. Now coming back to the story…. Uddalaka stood up, smiled and patted his son and said -“Very well my son, now listen carefully!” Uddalaka went near a huge banyan tree, and sat under its cool shade. He asked his son to sit down beside him. Shwetaketu obediently followed his father and sat down beside him. Uddalaka continued -“In the very beginning, there was only Being or One, and only that without a second. Now many people may tell you that in the beginning there was only non-being and only that without a second. But in my opinion that is incorrect and flawed. How can all Being emerge from a Non-Being? So I will say that in the beginning there was only Being without a second.” Shwetaketu nodded and said - “I agree father!” Uddalaka continued - “ then this Being wished to become many. So he started to emit heat, which is essential for any life form. Now without outdoing any further, heat propagated further. The heat produced Water, which is again essential for life. Perhaps, Shwetaketu, when a man feels hot, he sweats and when he feels stressed out, he weeps so heat emits water. Now, water also started to propagate further and from it came out food! That’s why perhaps when it rains, there is no shortage of food, we have plentiful of crops all around! Then the life manifested itself as plants, animals and human beings.” After this Uddalaka looked at the fields where cattle were grazing, the farmers were busy working on the crops. Shwetaketu too looked at the same direction. “Now look around son, at all the creatures in the universe. All of them are only born in three ways. Either from sprouts, from eggs and from creatures. That life essence Soumya, combined with heat, water and food in a million of different ways to produce a million different manifestations of the original Being. Now that Being entered everything as the Self and manifested Himself under many forms. In other words, the Being or the One, permeated in every thing that existed in this world. There is nothing in this universe that is not a mix of these! As the ancient sages say however new and different something may look, or may surprise us, but we know it is made only of these three - heat, water and food. Therefore, it is clear that the knowledge of Being or One implies knowledge of everything else. We know that its life -essence is the essence of the one original Being. Truly, there is nothing else.” On hearing this from his father, Shwetaketu was quite baffled. He could not understand how the Being could become many and the Being remains unaffected. So he asked his father -“Taat, then tell me how do these three divinities - heat, water and food - manifest in my body and in yours? Which part of my body is heat, which part is water and which part is food? Tell me Taat, please I must understand it!” Uddalaka took a deep breath and said - “Soumya, all the food that you eat splits into three parts. The densest part passes out of the body, the not-so dense part becomes the flesh and lightest part becomes the mind. All the water you drink, splits into three parts. The most viscous part passes out of the body, less viscous part becomes the blood and the least viscous part rises in the body and becomes the breath. All the heat that you eat, spilts into three - the coarsest become bone, the not-so-coarse portion becomes marrow and the least coarse portion becomes speech. Friends you may be wondering what is meant by “hear that you eat”. It means, the fat such as oil, ghee, and butter which are produced by application of heat. For example oilseeds give out oil. It also means the heat of the sun. In modern day doctors often say that you must stay in the sun so that you have enough vitamin D in your body and friends, Vitamin D is very important for building the bones! So that what exactly Upanishad talks about! Amazing isn’t it? Uddalaka continued - “So Soumya, every elements consist of three parts. Thus mind is made of food, breath of water and speech of heat.” Shwetaketu after listening to this explanation counter questioned his father - “Taat, how can you be so sure of this? It is quite fascinating to think about that the mind is made of food, breath is made of water and speech is made of heat !” Uddalaka smiled and stood up and asked Shwetaketu to stand up. “Soumya, I would want you to fast for fifteen days and drink only and only water for breath is made of water or else it will cut off if you dont drink! Make sure you do not eat any food in next fifteen days!” As an obedient son, Shwetaketu greeted his father with folded hands and went away for fifteen days and observed fast. During the next fifteen days drank only water. After fifteen days, he came back home. He was looking pale, thin and weak but was very much alive. Seeing his son after fifteen days, Uddalaka welcomed him and said - “Welcome my son, welcome back! Now recite to me the verses of Rig Veda, Verses of Yajur and chants of Sama Veda.” Shwetaketu, sat down, and tried to remember the verses. He tried for some time and finally gave up! He weakly said - “I don’t recall them, Taat! I studied them for twelve years but somehow I dont recall them at all.” Uddalaka smiled and said - “I know, I know my son. For the mind is made of food and since you have not eat anything for last 15 days, your mind is not working! That’s why you cannot recall your verses! Just like a small spark of fire that set ablaze a huge heap of straw and hay, similarly your mind will revive when you eat your food. The heat the food produces will revive your tongue and allow your speech to flow. So go and immediately ask your mother for some food. Eat to your heart’s content and come back to me!” Shwetaketu went to his mother, and she was eager to feed her son as she too knew he was going through a very difficult fast for the last fifteen days. She was very happy to get her son back! She immediately served him delicious meal. Shwetaketu ate to his heart’s content and when done, went back to his father. Uddalaka now asked him if he can recall any of the rig veda verses. After nourishment through food, his memory came back! He could recite verses from Rig Veda and Yajur Veda and also chant verses from Sama Veda without any difficulty. Shwetaketu realised that mind belonged to the matter. Moreover, whatever is derived from something else cannot have its own independent existence. Thus he felt that he was on the border of a great discovery. He understood that mind is indeed made of food, breath indeed made of water and speech of heat. His father’s teachings made him realise that what was needed is a change in outlook towards the Reality i.e. Dhristibheda. He now clearly understood that so long as one depends on the senses as tools of knowledge, one is on the material side of things only. Thus the Absolute cannot be grasped. However, he realised another fact - The Absolute cannot be outside us because, if it is outside, we might go on seeking and searching but never realise it. Shwetaketu rejuvenated after his meals, wanted to know more from his father. He asked - “Father, please tell me more!” Uddalaka asked him- “Soumya, do you know what really happens in sleep?” Shwetaketu said -“No Taat, I dont know!” Uddalaka continued - “Listen Soumya, in the waking state, the mind is like a tethered bird, flying hither and thither in a rare frenzy, and never finding rest. When sleep comes, just as the fettered bird returns to its perch, the mind -bird, exhausted by all the frenetic activities, return to its true resting place, to its purest state, to breath itself, for the mind is bound to the breath and that’s why, when a man is in deep slumber, they say he has returned unto himself. Friends I dont know, if you feel the same, sometimes I feel when I am in deep sleep, I get a feeling that I am falling down somewhere for a fraction of second! Is that the state when my mind comes back to its resting place! To it’s purest state? I will be glad if you can share your similar experience. Please do write to me. Soumya, do you know what it means when they say a man is hungry? Shwetaketu nodded Uddalaka continued - Soumya, it means that water has led away all the food he has previously eaten to various parts of his body. When a man is thirsty, it means heat has led away all the water he has earlier drunk! Thus we know that the root of the body is food, the root of the food is water, and the root of the water is heat. And root of the heat is of course that original Being from where the heat first emitted. Now soumya, what it means when they say a man is dead! It is Speech that goes first, merging into the mind, so that even when his voice is weak, a man is still able to think, and remember. Then the mind goes, merging into the life breath or Praana, so that even when a man does not understand any more, he is able to breathe and thus stay alive! Then the life breath or Praana goes away, merging into the heat. Very soon after the heat leaves, merging into the same Pure Being from where it had emitted. And that Pure Being is the root, the finest essence of all. That is the Truth of the Universe, that is the Reality and that, the very same “That” Shwetaketu, is your essence too. That dear one, who you are! Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, That Art Thou!” As he heard the mahavaakya from his father, Shwetaketu’s hair stood up on its end. His realisation of the essence of his being, the thing that made him “him” was no different, apparently, from the essence of the universe. The same energy that allowed him to think and understand, remember, and speak also caused the sun and stars to shine and seas to rise and rain to fall. Shwetaketu contained with him the power of the Cosmos. It was a tremendous revelation crashed into his consciousness just like a storm crashes into the coast. Since consciousness or Chaitanya is one and indivisible, the same consciousness animates both the individual and entire Cosmos or Space. It abides in all that is. Mesmerised Shwetaketu with folded hands asked his Father - Father please tell me more! Uddalaka continued - come on Soumya follow me! They went to a nearby garden which was in full bloom. Flowers of different colors and shapes danced quietly in the cool breeze. There he showed Shwetaketu the honey bees humming around the flowers busy collecting nectar. Uddalaka said to him - “Soumya, do you see those honey bees buzzing around the flowers?” Shwetaketu said -“Yes Taat, I can see them. I guess they are collecting nectar from different flowers.” Uddalaka said -“Yes, dear child, now consider that bees that collect nectar from different flowers and store them into honey combs of a bee hive. Once the golden honey is ready, the different nectars are no longer able to say “I am nectar of this flower or I am nectar of that flower” their individual sweetnesses have now merged into a homogenous, delicious whole golden honey. In the same way, Soumya, all the individual, separate, different existences you see around you - be it honey bees, flowers, dog, worm, moth, tiger or wolf - merge into the pure Being. That is what they all become, when they pass from their physical bodies, with no memory of ever having been separate or different from each other. That is the Self or Aatman of the world. That is the finest, most subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything else stands. That is the truth. That is the Real and That is your Self Your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, That Art Thou! Completely bedazzled Shwetaketu was hungry for more! He pleaded again “Tell me more Father! Please tell me more!” Then Uddalaka took Shwetaketu to the nearby river which was flowing with its full might. He pointed out at the river and said - “Soumya, the rivers flows into the sea, some flow eastwards into the eastern sea and some flow westward into the western sea. But all seas and oceans flow into each other. Once the river have become the sea, they are no longer able to say that “I am water of this river or that river!” As their individual waters have now merged into the ocean. It is from this very ocean that the rivers were born, although they do not know it and it is into this ocean they eventually return! If one hugs one’s individuality, and thus cuts himself off from the universal existence, one lives in the world of isolation of relative values. It is only when one experiences the Truth that “I am one with all existence” that one realises the Absolute as one’s own Self. In this way, what appears a block or a hinderance becomes a help. Name and form turn out to be modes of sadhana, a means of realization of truth of all existence as interconnected and interdependent. That is the Self or Aatman of the world. That is the finest, most subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything else stands. That is the truth. That is the Real and That is your Self Your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, That Art Thou! After this Uddalaka took Shwetaketu back to the huge banyan tree. He showed him the tree and said - “This huge tree here, if someone cut at its bottom, living sap would flow out of it. If someone cut it at its middle, the living sap would flow out of it. If someone cut it at the top once again the living sap would flow from it. The life-essence or Jivha pervades the entire tree. That’s why even though the tree was hacked from various parts, the living sap flows out of it but the tree itself does not die, it still stands tall and thriving in the soil, nourishing itself with water. But if someone tear off a single leaf, that life essence will withdraw from it and the leaf will die. It will wither and fall and will cease to exist. Similarly if that life-essence leave a tree branch that branch will wither and fall off. And if the Self leave the entire tree, this huge tree which is vibrantly alive will instantly begin to wither away and eventually die. So as it works for a tree similarly it is for us. The body dies when the living Self leaves it but certainly the Self does not die! It is that living Self, the life essence that is the Self, Aatman of the world. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scafolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! Next Uddalaka asked Shwetaketu to bring a fruit of a Banyan tree. Shwetaketu leaped up in the air and easily reached one of the branches which had many fruits attached to it. He pluck one of the fruit and gave it to his father. “Here it is father! I have got the fruit!” Uddalaka told him to break it open! Shwetaketu broke it open and showed it to his father. Uddalaka asked - “Soumya what do you see in it?” “I see only tiny seeds, father!” Said Shwetaketu “Very well, then open up one of the seed!” Said Uddalaka Shwetaketu applied some force to break one seed open. Uddalaka asked “What do you see my son?” Shwetaketu replied -“I see nothing Taat!” Then Uddalaka said with a grin- “Know this Soumya, that ‘nothing’ which you cannot see, it is from that “nothing” that giant Banyan grows, it is because of this “nothing” that it all exist. It is that “nothing” believe me, that is the Self, Aatman of the world. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! Mesmerised Shwetaketu, asked for more! “Okay, then bring me some salt and a pot of water.” Asked Uddalaka. Shwetaketu went to his home, and asked his mother for some salt and a potful of water. Once he got them, came back to his father. “Very well Shwetaketu, can you please mix this salt in the potful of water?” Shwetaketu immediately put the salt into the potful of water and slowly mixed it. After a while, the salt had dissolved into the water. Uddalaka suddenly stopped Shwetaketu and asked - “Can you please give me that chunk of salt?” Shwetaketu with a puzzled look, said - “Father it has dissolved completely into the potful of water.” “Okay then take a sip from the top layer of the water.” Asked Uddalaka. Shwetaketu sipped from top layer of the water “How does it tastes?” “Salty, it is salty!” Said Shwetaketu Now take a sip from the middle portion of the water. Shwetaketu did as directed by his father. He poured out a little of water into another vessel and drank from the middle portion. “Its salty too!” Exclaimed Shwetaketu Now try to drink from the bottom portion of the water. Shwetaketu did as told. He poured out little more of the water into another vessel and drank from the bottom layer of the water. And said - “This is salty too father” “Yes…you see Shwetaketu… the salt is everywhere, but you cannot see it! And so it is with the Supreme Self. It is everywhere, pervades everything, only we do not see it. It is that Supreme Self - Brahman, that is the Self, Aatman of the world. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! Then Uddalaka took another example. “Shwetaketu, imagine a man from Gandhar, who is a complete stranger in Panchala and has been blindfolded by someone. He is left to fend for himself. The poor blindfolded man will go in all direction trying to figure out the direction towards his native. Maybe he will be crying out for help. Until some kind person, removes his blindfold and shows him the way to Gandhar. Now if he is a sensible enough, the stranger will eventually find his way back, by making sure to check in the villages and other landmarks along the way and will ensure that he is in the correct track to his native. Exactly the same way, a man in this world is lost, floundering in every direction, not knowing where he is headed, until he finds a teacher to show him the way. He knows that now he will find his way back home with the help of his teacher, that is back to his own Self. It is that Self, whose home lies within you, that is Self, Aatman of the world. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! After this Uddalaka took another example. “Soumya, imagine a man who is gravely ill. His family members gathers around him and one of them asks the sick man - “Do you recognise me?” Another family member asks him the same question - “No, do you recognise me?” As long as his speech has not merged into his mind, and his mind into his breath, and his breath into heat and the heat into the original Being, he recognises them. But once the speech merges into his mind, mind into breath, breath into heat and heat into Pure Being, there is no recognising any more. It is that Pure Being, into which we all will eventually merge. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! Uddalaka did’nt stop his explanation, he continued - “Imagine a man who was a thief is caught. He is tied and being dragged to the public square. The mob shouting and cursing him - “Thief! He stole other’s possessions! Heat the axe for him. If he is indeed a thief, and protests his innocence, and takes hold of the hot axe, his hands will burn and everyone will know him for a liar. But if he is innocent, and protests his innocence, then the axe will not burn him, for the truth will protect him like a shield. It is that shinning Truth, that ultimate Truth, that Truth that shields and protects, that is Self, Aatman of the world. That is the finest, subtle essence of everything, the soul of everything, the root of everything, the scaffolding on which everything stands. That is the true and real and that is your Self, your Aatman too. Tat Tvam Asi, Shwetaketu, ,That Art Thou! Shwetaketu now realised that spiritual life and the experience it embodies are not creeds or dogmas. It is not a case of believing something which cannot be proved. In this way, Faith, by itself, would be nothing other than mere opinions. Rational and reasoned belief makes faith a conviction, since it is based on experience. This is the reason why this conviction is called ‘Aparok shanu bhuti’, the direct perception of the Truth. We cannot perceive it with the eyes of others - for such seeing lacks individual basis. Absolute Brahman is the reality that radiates in and through everything in the universe and this fact is not a matter of opinion or faith, rather it is a direct experience. Friends, that was the story of Uddalaka Aaruni and his son Shwetaketu. The significance of this episode is clear - one should experience the truths of life oneself. This is done by observation and analytical understanding of what is observed. But what is observed and analysed has to be an inseperable part of one’s consciousness or Chetana. This consciousness includes the analytical dimension, but goes beyond to be part of the holistic awareness. In short the spiritual dimension includes the scientific but gives awareness of the Cosmic Reality. Wasnt it a beautiful story? Uddalaka gave so many examples from daily life, so many metaphors and explain the concepts that Shwetaketu can grasp the concept. He explained Shwetaketu the concept of the mahavaakya - “Tat Tvam Asi” which enunciated the oneness of the Self and the supreme Truth nine times. It is also known as “Upadesh Vaakya” as Uddalaka who gives updesha to his son Shwetaketu. The other mahavaakyas from Upanishads are “Pragyanam Brahma” which is known as “Lakshana Vaakya” which is described in Aitareya Upanishad, it indicates the characteristic of the Supreme as Consciousness. The third mahavaakya is “Ayam Aatmaa Brahmaa” which is also known as “Anusandhaana Vaakya” because a seeker has to keep investigating through it. This mahavaakya was featured in Maandukya Upanishad. The last mahavaakya is perhaps the most famous one and is “Aham Brahmaasmi” which is a “Anubhava Vaakya” as it reveals your experience of being one with Brahman. This mahavaakya was featured in Brihaadaaranyaka Upanishad. Doesn't the story send a thrill down your spine for the each time the tremendous declaration - Tat Tvam Asi, That Art Thou is revealed! Is’nt it amazing to think about the sages who composed vedas and Upanishads where the first to even engage with the kind of fundamental questions that Chaandogya Upanishad concerns itself with - Where did the universe come from? What is it made of? What makes it work? Who are we really? What is that allows a physical system like the body, which you can touch, see, smell, taste and hear, to produce a mental system like the mind and intellect, which you are aware of and can locate in the region of the brain, but cannot see? What is that allows a mental system to produce an emotional system that you are aware of but cannot locate in the body? Does the emotions emerge from the brain or from the heart or from somewhere else? What is it? Who is it, inside each of us that allows us to experience our feelings, thoughts, ideas and memories? What is the nature of the reality, how can we call this moment, this present, current moment at which we are listening to this podcast - real, if this has receded into the past, into dreamlike memory, by the time we are done listening to this podcast! Vedas and Upanishads answer all these questions as “Brahman” which in other words means Consciousness or the Absolute or Supreme Self. Friends, do you think Brahman to be God? What is consciousness or Chetana? I would love hear more from you. Please email your thoughts to my email address. Interestingly few of the questions which Upanishads concerned so deeply roughly 2500 -3000 year back such as What is the universe made up of? What is consciousness? How and where did life start on earth? What is the meaning of life? How vast is the universe? Where did everything come from? What happens after we die? Does God exist? And these are still among the most unanswered questions in science today. You can google them if you like! Another food for thought, perhaps many of us have seen the movie “Matrix”! Dont you feel that it has been completely inspired from the concepts which we discussed in today’s story? Especially when Keanue Reeves becomes the One! Isn’t it Tat Tvam Asi? You are the One, it is indivisible part of the Supreme Being or One! Also you may have seen a movie called “Lucy” in which Scarlet Johannson ultimately merges into a USB drive which is filled with information of the universe. It is ultimate knowledge, ultimate truth and reality. It is actually Tat Tvam Asi! Vedas and Upanishads believe that both Space and Time are both illusions. We try to use these two concepts to understand the reality. Isn’t it an inspiration to Quantum Physics? Created by our Chetana or consciousness it is boundless, and timeless, it has simply always been and will always pervade everything. In fact the ancient sages said -“there is nothing else beside it” - this entire universe, and everything in it. It is simply a projection of that Consciousness. From today’s story, we know that the sages who penned the Upanishads believed that there is absolutely no difference the original consciousness that created us and our own consciousness, which allows us to feel, think and experience the world in very different way from how everyone else experiences it. If you really believe this implicitly then sorrow cannot hurt you, death cannot scare you! Life becomes a wonderful experience. Friends today’s episode was quite heavy, too many things to absorb and understand. Today’s three questions are - Why do you think Shwetaketu was arrogant after coming back from Gurukul What are the 4 Mahavaakyas mentioned in the Upanishads 3) Can you explain what does “Tat Tvam Asi” mean? So please write me back at arghyathinks@gmail.com, I will be waiting for your email. Untill then….…
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