Bhrigu Valli of the Taittirīya Upanishad explains the knowledge of the Brahman through a dialogue between a teacher, Varuna, and the student (his son, Brighu). In this section of the Upanishad, the teacher has asked his disciple to concentrate all his energies towards the inquiry of various sheaths that are present. Such an inquiry in turn may lead to the discovery of the Brahman. The student is carefully guided by the guru in every stage so that he is able to go beyond all the Kośas and is competent to reach the transcendental state, or gets unified with the Ātman knowingly, as the core identity.
Bhrigu Valli opens with Bhrigu approaching his father and teacher Varuna to seek knowledge about the Brahman. In order to answer the query of Bhrigu, Varuna says that the food body, the world of matter, the vital force (prāṇa), the eyes, ears, the mind and the speech all arise from the Brahman and that all these together constitute the Reality which should be understood.
On hearing this, Bhrigu says that he is eager to learn the nature of the Brahman from whom all these modes of being are born, due to which all these are sustained, and unto which all these get merged. The body and the organs cannot function without consciousness, which is the witness, animation and ground of Being of their activity. The activities of the body and the senses, are manifested expressions of Brahman or Consciousness, the animating principle. Therefore, the teacher asks the student to know Brahman through the experience of the various sheaths from the outermost to the inner.
Bhrigu is keen to know more about the Supreme Being and the ultimate reality of life for which he underwent all the necessary yogic disciplines (recall the teachings of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali). The implication is that he withdrew his mind from all the outer objects and concentrated and meditated on what his father taught.
In the second section, Bhrigu is able to realize food as Brahman because he understands that it is from food that all beings are born, again it is with the help of food that living beings subsist and ultimately it is again food which material beings become for other living beings. But still his mind is not satisfied with this conclusion because food or matter has both origin and end and hence it cannot be Brahman which is eternal. So Bhrigu returns to his father and asks him more about the Supreme Being. His father and teacher Varuna advises him that concentration will take him towards the knowledge of the Brahman.
It will be observed in the Bhrigu Valli that Bhrigu achieves satisfaction for some time after contemplation. We see that contemplation of the mind has sharpened his intellect and as a result his mind is filled with doubts and he turns to his teacher Varuna again and again to know more about the Brahman.
In this third section Bhrigu performs meditation on the vital force or the prana as the Brahman.
He realizes that from the vital force all living beings are born, they live with the help of prāṇa and ultimately they are unified with prāṇa. But still Bhrigu felt that Prāṇa or vital breath is non-intelligent and changing, and therefore cannot be Brahman and that he had a lot more to learn about Brahman.
So he approaches his father Varuna once again, who advises him to think more deeply on the subject.
Through meditation Brighu realizes that the mind is Brahman; for from the mind, verily, are these beings born; by the mind, when born, do they live; into the mind, at the time of dissolution, do they enter. It is the mind which temporarily maintains the continuity of existence.
But Bhrigu again has a doubt that since the mind also creates hesitation and uncertainty, and like other perceiving and sensing organs (such as the eyes, ears, etc.) is subject in time to birth, growth, decay and death, the mind cannot be Brahman.
When he tells his father about this conclusion, Varuna asks him to meditate again on the nature of the Brahman.
When he completes his meditation in the fifth section of this Valli, Bhrigu understands that the intellect (vijñāna) is Brahman; for from the intellect, verily, are these beings born; by the intellect, when born, do they live; into the intellect, at the time of dissolution, do they enter or merge. After deep contemplation Bhrigu understands that the intellect is subtler than the mind.
The intellectual sheath is getting closer to the innermost core wherein resides the Self. The intellectual sheath, while a magnificent dimension of the human mind, has its powers but also its limits which are time bound. With the help of the intellect, living beings are able to determine ethical knowledge, the sciences, literature, the arts and distill the wisdom from spiritual teachings. Hence, the discriminating intellect is subtler than the mind yet controlled by the embodied ego and subject to diminished power as the body and mind age. Then the following doubt arises. Such sensations as pain and pleasure, inner longings, and attachments etc. are also experienced by the intellect or the doer and hence the intellect could not be Brahman. One is still an embodied doer, enjoyer and thinker. With this understanding Brighu comes to recognize that at this level of being, the intellectual sheath could not be Brahman.
Again, Brighu goes to the teacher. Varuna who tells him to meditate on the Brahman and leads him further.
Having deeply meditated (moving in and out of the various sheaths), he realizes that Bliss is Brahman; for from Bliss (Ānanda), verily, are these beings born; by bliss, when born, do they live; into bliss, at the time of dissolution, do they enter or merge. This is the wisdom taught by Varuna and learned by Bhrigu. It is established in the supreme ākāśa (Being), in the heart. He who knows this is established in the Bliss of Brahman. He, functioning at all the levels, within all the sheaths, is able to lead a full worldly life. He becomes a possessor of food and an eater of food. He becomes great in offspring and cattle and in spiritual radiance and great in fame.
In this sixth section Bhrigu moves from the discriminating intellect into the sheath of Bliss which is another manifestation of Brahman. Bhrigu realizes that the Bliss sheath is beyond attraction and aversion, beyond pleasure and pain, and is beyond doer and enjoyer for the time being. It is on the experiential cusp of the non-dual state where one fully experiences Brahman–Ātman as an ever-present reality and fulfills the goal of his life. The seeker gradually goes beyond the five sheaths and attains the supreme support of unconditioned Brahman (Existence, Consciousness and Bliss).
The fruit of this knowledge has been described at the end of this ślōka. But it should be kept in mind that the knower of Brahman is not really affected by it because having realized the changeable nature of the universe, he remains unattached to the world of objects. Remember our studies of the Bhagavad Gita,
The conclusion we have come to is that it is Consciousness that is illuminating the five sheaths right now. It is not that we have separated the five sheaths from consciousness…here are the five sheaths and here is consciousness. The Upanishad goes on to tell us that it is this consciousness alone that appears as the five sheaths. The five sheaths of our personality – the body, vital energy, mind, intellect and (time bound bliss), are not apart from consciousness. They arise, abide and dissolve in consciousness. They have no existence apart from consciousness…The Upanishad can be a bit misleading in this respect.. For example…it is saying go deep within yourself and discover pure consciousness…It is like saying go deep within the wave to discover water. It is all water through and through. In the same way, consciousness permeates every aspect of life (every sheath)….the sheaths are merely names and forms to help us realize that it is all pure consciousness…it is the witnessing consciousness…all of it is consciousness…Satyam, jnanam, anantam Brahma…All is pure existence, consciousness and infinity. Having discovered that we discover an immortal, unchanging reality. Mortality is in the body, disease and decay are in the life forces, happiness, sadness, desire and frustration are in the mind, ignorance and knowledge are in the intellect, and the temporary cessation of all these as in the blankness beyond (limited ananda) – all of these are in the five sheaths. None of them are in Pure Consciousness which we truly are…right now. Just as we don’t have to go deep into the ocean to discover water, or deep into the table to discover wood, or deep into the pot to discover clay,…the same way we have to understand that the sheaths are nothing but names and forms. It is all Pure Consciousness. Having discovered that we discover an immortal, unchanging reality. As Swami Vivekananda said ‘If only you see yourself as you truly are’ Excerpted from Swami Sarvapriyananda’s lecture – Vedanta society
The latter sections of this chapter include mantras and chants celebrating the life-giving properties of food essential for the health and well-being of all living beings. This sort of chanting is meant to invoke the blessings of abundance.
The seventh Anuvāka of the Bhrigu Valli says that one who praises food (gratitude for the food received) and the partaker of food as one and the same will become worthy of the rewards of earthly prosperity. The deeper inference of these ślōkas on food is that a student like Bhrigu should never reject the world of objects. The manifested world of plurality should be understood as the expression of the Brahman at the level of the sheaths and utilized as a means to Self-Realization.
For Bhrigu it has a profound meaning. He realizes that his teacher advises him not to forget the world around him. The teacher encourages him to be strong and energetic and utilize his discriminating intellect to share the knowledge of Brahman.
Bhrigu understands that, continuing in the lineage of teachers, he will need plenty of food to feed the many who come to him in subsequent years to learn Brahmavidya. The tenth section deals with Bhrigu`s understanding of hospitality. According to Varuna, a man of realization should draw students from various parts in order to impart Vedic knowledge and in the process, the knowledge of the Brahman.
This particular Anuvāka has also said that one should meditate on the Brahman in every form. If one is not a sentient human being, then how can he encounter this wisdom and realize his own spiritual center? The Bhrigu Valli can be called a discourse between a wise and loving teacher and a sincere student who is in quest of the Brahman. It extols the world of objects and declares that the world of objects must be utilized as a means for realizing the Self (Brahman-Ātman).
Tenth Anuvāka, Ślōka 5:
He who knows this, passing beyond this world, Steps onto the self which consists of food, Steps onto the self which consists of breath, Steps onto the self which consists of mind, Steps onto the self which consists of intelligence, Steps onto the self which consists of bliss. Crossing these worlds, Eating the food, he desires, Assuming the forms he desires, He continues singing this song of praise: Oh, wonderful! Oh, wonderful! Oh, wonderful! (hā vu hā vu hā vu)
~ Vernon Katz and Thomas Egenes
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I have overcome the whole universe. I am golden like the sun. And so it is for him who knows this. Thus the Upanishad.
Oṁ Saha nāvavatu Saha nau bhunaktu Saha vīryam karavāvahai Tejasvi nāvadhītamastu Mā vidviṣāvahai Oṁ Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ, Shāntiḥ Om.
Let us be together. Let us eat together. Let us be vital together. Let us be radiating truth, Radiating the light of life. Never, shall we denounce anyone, Never entertain negativity Om. Peace. Peace. Peace.
Please note: excerpts, commentary and references from the following teachers of Vedanta.
Vedanta Society lectures and literature Swami Sarvapriyananda, Swami Nikhilananda, Swami Ranganathananda Swami Gambhirananda
Excerpts from the following Translations of the Upanishads: T.N. Sethumadhavan Vernon Katz and Thomas Egenes Patrick Olivelle Valerie Roebuck Robert Ernest Hume Eknath Easwaran
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