The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - 1. Swami Krishnananda.
Chinmaya Mission
Chinmaya Mission, Kadapa, successfully organized a Mega Bala Vihar Camp titled 'Krishna... The Wonder Boy' from 8th to 14th May 2023. The camp saw the enthusiastic participation of 400 children from various schools in Kadapa. Led by Swami Turiyananda ji and a team of 40 Sevaks, the camp offered a meticulously designed syllabus that included captivating stories of Lord Krishna from the Bhagawatam, Shloka chanting, Bhajans, thrilling games, adventurous trekking, festival celebrations, art & crafts, and more.
The camp reached its culmination with a Divine activity called Matru Puja, where all the children reverently worshipped their mother's feet. This act symbolized their gratitude and respect towards their mothers. The Mega Bala Vihar Camp provided a holistic and engaging experience, allowing the children to deepen their understanding of Lord Krishna's teachings and develop a sense of devotion and love.
The event was a resounding success, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the Chinmaya Mission, Kadapa, and the enthusiastic participation of the children.
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Monday, 29 May, 2023. 06:45.
Article Post-1.
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We have been going through various important themes of the teachings of the Upanishads, and many subjects have been covered. There was a great sage called Yajnavalkya. His name occurs in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. He was a master of spiritual wisdom. One day, when he had become aged, he told his wife Maitreyi, and another wife known as Katyayani, that he was retiring; and he said: “Whatever property I have, I shall divide between both of you. I shall take to sannyasa and go for meditation, and you take my property.”
The younger wife, Katyayani was very happy. “Good riddance, now the old man goes,” she perhaps thought; but the other wife, Maitreyi, was very mature. She said, “Sire, you want to offer me all your wealth? May I ask you one question: Can I become immortal through wealth? With all the treasures that you are now prepared to offer to me, can I become immortal?” Yajnavalkya said, “Far from it. You will be a well-to-do person like any other in the world, but there is no hope of immortality through wealth.” To that, Maitreyi said, “Then what for is this wealth that you are are offering me? What shall I do with it, if through that I shall not become immortal?”
There is a very important psychological truth hidden in this query of Maitreyi, the consort of Yajnavalkya. Immortality is timeless existence. It can also mean, for our own practical purposes, a very long life that is not going to end easily; and if immortality cannot be gained through wealth, perhaps long life also cannot be assured through wealth; and this would mean that our life can end at any time, even with all the wealth that we may be having. If tomorrow is the last day in this world for a person possessing large treasures, what good is that treasure? If the owner or the possessor of the wealth is not to exist at all, what can wealth do? What is its utility?
Do we love wealth, and what is this love of wealth for? “Your question is a very important one,” said Yajnavalkya. “You are very wise in raising this point. You are very dear to me. Come on; I shall teach you something. Sit down, and I shall speak to you.”
"Na va are patyuh kamaya patih priyo bhavati, atmanas tu kamaya patih priyo bhavati; na va are jayayai kamaya jaya priya bhavati; atmanas tu kamaya jaya priya bhavati; na va are sarvasya kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati; atmanas tu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati (Bri.U. 2.4.5)" :
We have, in our earlier discussions, concluded that everything in the world has a pure subjectivity in itself. It is not true that things are objects of perception. They are also subjects from their own point of view. If you, as a perceiver or a cogniser of a thing which you consider as an object, remain as a subject for that particular thing which you regard as object, that other thing may consider you as an object from its own point of view when it beholds you as something outside itself. When I see you, I am a subject perceiving you as an object of my perception. So, you are an object and I am a subject. But when you perceive me, you are a subject and I am an object. Now tell me: Who is the subject and who is the object? Is there anything that we can permanently call an object?
The analysis of consciousness, into which we entered sometime back, has shown us that the nature of the subjectivity of anything is essentially consciousness. You have to bring back to your memory this analytical study that we conducted in the course of our going through the Mandukya Upanishad, etc. Consciousness is the essence of the subjectivity of anything. There cannot be a ‘perceiving' of anything unless there is a consciousness of perceiving. This consciousness, as we noticed by an analysis of its nature, is incapable of being limiterom Yajnavalkya, the great sage: Nobody loves anything for its own sake. We are accustomed to this slogan of love, and we consider that as something very pre-eminent in our daily life. We love people, we love wealth, we love land, we love property. There is such a thing called love in this world, but who does love want, and what is the purpose of this love?
To be continued
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