The Chandogya Upanishad - 3-17&18 : Swami Krishnananda.

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Chinmaya Mission  : 

A mind that is connected to Shri Hanuman is determined, decisive and devoted.

May we serve Him and serve like Him.

Glimpse of 17th anniversary celebrations of Chinmaya Maruti Mandir on 27th of December 2022 at Chinmaya Vibhooti during the Gopika Geet Global Family Camp. 

The celebration started with blissful Havan and Puja. It was heartwarming to see Swami Swaroopananda offer Archana and Aarti to His beloved Lord Hanuman. 

Indeed a glorious sight to behold.

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Monday, December 12,  2022. 08:00.
Chapter - 3 : Sanatkumara's Instructions on Bhuma-Vidya : 
SECTION 17: TRUTH AND UNDERSTANDING :
SECTION 18: THOUGHT AND UNDERSTANDING

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SECTION 16: TRUTH :

"Esa tu va ativadati yah satyenativadati; 

so'ham, bhagavah, satyenativadaniti, 

satyam tv-eva vijijnasitavyam iti, 

satyam, bhagavah, vijijnasa iti."

Transcendent speech is an expression of transcendent knowledge. And transcendent knowledge is that knowledge which is identical with transcendent truth. This is the peak of experience, the peak of wisdom. Our speech should be based on the reality of Being. Only then it manifests itself as reality. Truth and knowledge are identical. Our speech becomes true, because our speech is based on the knowledge of the true. This is what Sanatkumara means when he says—esha tu va ativadati yah satyenativadati. "Well, my master, then I wish I would be like that-so'ham bhagavah satyenati vadan-iti," says Narada. "Please initiate me into this mystery of acquiring that knowledge which is tuned up to Reality, which is one with Being. Is it possible for me to have this knowledge?" "Satyam tv-eva vijijnasitavyam—my dear Narada," says Sanatkumara. "You want a knowledge which is tuned up with reality, but you must know what reality or truth is. Unless you know what truth is, how can you try to identify your knowledge with truth, or truth with knowledge? You must have a clear conception of what I mean by 'truth'. Only then can you have an aspiration for identifying your knowledge with truth, knowing truth and speaking truth." "Then Master, I would like to know what truth is-satyam, bhagavah vijijnasa iti. Please tell me what is truth."

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SECTION 17: TRUTH AND UNDERSTANDING :

"Yada vai vijanati, atha satyam vadati, 

navijanan satyam vadati, 

vijananneva satyam vadati, 

vijnanam tveva vijijnasitavyam iti, 

vijnanam, bhagavah, vijijnasa iti."

Again we are in a vicious circle of argument, as it were. You want to know what is truth. Truth has to be known as it is, and not as it appears. There are various types of truth before us: One says, "This is true," "That is true," and "Everything is true." But is everything ultimately true? We must have a clear conception what ultimate truth is. "O Narada," says Sanatkumara, "you can speak truth only when you know what truth is; otherwise, how can you speak truth? But do you know what truth is? Truth is not what you perceive as true in this empirical world. The whole world is not true. It is not the ultimate truth. So, how can you say that anything in the world is true? Whatever you speak is not true. You must know what is really true. When one knows what truth is, then one speaks truth." Narada is instructed in this manner.

An ignoramus cannot speak truth. Knowledge of truth is, therefore, very important. We have to know knowledge itself, because it is knowledge that comprehends truth. What is knowledge and what is truth? We are here entering into the difficult subject of the ultimate principle of our very life, knowledge and truth, jnana and satya. What is truth and what is knowledge—this must be known. Without that no one can proceed further.

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SECTION 18: THOUGHT AND UNDERSTANDING :

"Yada vai manute, atha vijanati, 

namatva vijanati, mataiva vijanati, 

matistveva vijijnasitavyeti, 

matim, bhagavah vijijnasa iti."

The word mati and similar other words used in these passages of the Upanishad carry a meaning much more deep than what appears on the surface, because we are treading upon forbidden land where the mind cannot easily reach, where things go almost beyond and above our heads. We do not know what we are speaking and what we are hearing. Such is the condition that is being explained here. Such is the state into which Narada is being initiated by Sanatkumara, the great master.

There is something higher than this knowledge or aspiration for truth. What is that? It is the tendency of one's being to move towards Reality. It is the very reason behind our aspiring for Reality. How do we know that Reality is to be known? Who put this idea into our head? We say, "I must know God," "I must search for Reality," "I must aspire for the Absolute." How did this idea arise in our mind? There is a tendency in us to move towards the Reality. This tendency is prior to our consciousness of Reality. We cannot be conscious of this urge itself, because it is prior to everything else, even becoming conscious of anything. Nobody knows what this urge is and from where it comes. "Isvaranugrahad-eva pumsam advaita vasana," says the great master Dattatreya. We do not know how aspiration arises in our mind. It has not come due to our efforts, because effort cannot be there without knowledge. But the question is, "How has this knowledge arisen?" So Bhagavan Dattatreya says that perhaps it is God's grace, or we may call it the grace of the Absolute, or the mysterious outcome of the very process of evolution which is egged on by some principle of which we have no idea and the purpose of which is far, far beyond our understanding.

"So, Narada," says Sanatkumara, "beyond and prior to all that is in you including your knowledge of reality, including your aspiration for it, behind everything, is a tendency in you to move towards it. The mind will stop thinking completely, for it does not know what to think at all if this tendency were not there. Only when this tendency, this inclination of your total being towards the Reality is there, only then can you have an aspiration for Reality, not otherwise. This is the object of your meditation now." "This is what I want. How is this possible? I want to have knowledge of this mystery that you are speaking of," says Narada.

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Next
SECTION 19: FAITH
To be continued

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