Mysteries of the Vedas

In chapter 31, Lord Kapila gives a quite negative description of the life of a baby in the womb and after birth. Lord Kapila describes, for example, that "Bitten again and again all over the body by the hungry worms in the abdomen itself, the child suffers terrible agony because of his tenderness. He thus becomes unconscious moment after moment because of the terrible condition." And that, "Laid d...

The Upanisads are famous for bringing up complicated philosophical concepts in just a few words. The verse 1.1.8 of the Mundaka Upanisad is a surprising example, describing the whole process of creation and the workings of the universe in just 14 words! When the complete meaning is understood, we can appreciate the deep meaning of the verse, as well as to better understand the way the Upanisads co...

In chapter 30, Lord Kapila describes the negative results of sinful activities. The problem with material activities connected with sense gratification is that they are almost always sinful and thus result in quite painful results in the long run. We receive the human form of life as an opportunity to realize our eternal position as servants of Krishna. It is a great blessing, but it also entails...

In this material world, we can observe that a creator is always different from the elements used in his creation. An artist may use paint to create artwork, a builder may use bricks to build a house, and so on. The builder (the efficient cause) is different from the bricks (the material cause) and when the bricks are transformed into the house, they cease having a separate existence, becoming some...

Although Lord Kapila describes the practice of mystic yoga, the ultimate goal is pure devotional service, therefore the process He describes is not different from what we practice apart from a few details. We meditate on the deity instead of meditating in Paramatma inside the heart, but the process of meditation on the form of the Lord is the same. Similarly, we chant the Mahamantra instead of the...

The Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.9) confirms: naiṣā tarkeṇa matir āpaneyā proktānyenaiva su-jñānāya preṣṭha, “This realization, my dear boy, cannot be acquired by logic. It must be spoken by an exceptionally qualified spiritual master to a knowledgeable disciple.” Even in Vedic times, there were many rsis and munis, and they would not be capable of understanding the absolute truth using their intellects. Thi...

Impersonalists generally believe that to become free from material contamination one should renounce all material activities and connections. However, we can see that Lord Kapila offers a different path. These instructions apply both to neophytes and pure devotees. Arjuna is certainly a pure devotee, and the Lord gave him similar instructions in the Bhagavad-Gita. For a Vaishnava, the process is n...

Srila Vyasadava composed the Upanisads by selecting passages from the four original Vedas that deal directly with the topic of self-realization. The Aitareya and Kaushitaki Upanisads are derived from the Rig Veda, the Chandogya and Kena Upanisads from the Sama Veda, the Brihadaranyaka, Isha, Taittiriya and Katha Upanisads from the Yajur Veda and the Mundaka Upanisad, togueter with the Mandukya and...

In the previous chapters, Lord Kapila already described the creation and structure of the material world and how the soul becomes entrapped in it, as well as the process of devotional service by which the soul can become free. Just as material life starts when the soul's consciousness becomes focused on the material world, liberation comes when our consciousness is transferred back to Krishna. Thi...

Although the Lord is always with us, our consciousness is currently focused on matter, and thus we can't associate with Him. We are covered by the false ego, intelligence, mind, senses, and gross body, and by identifying with these different layers, we can't see the Lord. The teachings of the Taittiriya Upanisad help us to gradually purify our consciousness, helping us to see ourselves as what we...

The ultimate goal of the process of bhakti-yoga is to develop pure love of Godhead. As Krishna explains in the Bhagavad-Gita: "One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state, he attains pure devotional service unto Me." Pure devoti...

After describing the greatness of the Lord, the text proceeds to define ananda, spiritual bliss. This whole chapter urges us to seek this ananda, and this section tries to define it. As a point of reference, it starts by defining the extension of human bliss. In terms of material enjoyment, no one can be happier than a young, handsome man, who is strong, intelligent, well-versed in the scriptures,...

In the previous two chapters, Lord Kapila described the constitution of the universe, the nature of the soul, and the entanglement in the illusory material world. He then concluded that devotional service is the supreme process to become free from this conditioning. Now, in chapters 28 and 29, Lord Kapila will explain the process of devotional service in more detail. The first step in order to bec...

The ātmā of the mano-maya person is the same as that of the prāṇa-maya, which is the vijñāna-maya, or the soul. Our self has many layers, including the gross body, the vital air, the mind, material intelligence, and the false ego, but all of this is sustained by the soul. However, not everyone sees himself as the soul, therefore this is a level of understanding that we need to reach at some point...

In this part, the "fall" of the soul in the material world continues to be discussed. What binds us to this temporary world, and how can we finally become free? What exactly is our position here and how can the pure soul become so covered by illusion to the point of becoming a dog or a horse? A very important point to be understood in this connection is the role of the false ego and how it twists...

Just like the souls merge into the body of Lord Viṣṇu at the end of each day of Brahma, and also after the final dissolution of the universe, the soul goes to the small space inside the heart to meet the Lord in His form as Paramātmā at the end of each day, during deep sleep. Being the eternal part and parcel of the Lord, the soul can't remain separated from Him. Thus, at the end of each cycle of...

The process of reinforcing a positive identification instead of adopting the negative process of destroying one's material identity is commonly offered in the scriptures. The passages that speak about duties emphasize the idea of cultivating a positive identity, such as a responsible husband, a dedicated wife, an obedient child, a humble disciple, and so on. Although being a husband or a wife is n...

The vyāhṛti are sacred syllables or mantras which are very foundational in the Vedic tradition. They are found in the Gayatri mantra and recited in all kinds of sacrifices and ceremonies. Bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, and svaḥ refer to the three planetary systems, which are part of the universal body of the Lord, just like all demigods.  Bhūr refers to the earthly planetary system, including both Bhu-mandala and...

For the process of seeing to happen, for example, there must be an observer, the cooperation of the demigods who control vision (for the sense of vision to work) and some object to be observed. Without an observer, there is no activity of the senses. If there is no cooperation from the demigods, one can't see, and his vision is useless if there is nothing to be seen. In this way, if one is absent,...

Verses of the Taittiriya Upanisad are often quoted by Srila Prabhupada. Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana also quotes several verses in the Govinda Bhasya and explains their conclusions. It is considered one of the eleven principal Upaniṣads. Although a relatively small book, it brings very deep knowledge about the nature of the absolute truth and our relationship with Him.  The name "Taittiriya" comes...

A central point in Prabhupada's teachings is the idea that the soul is an eternal servant of Krishna. The original consciousness of the soul is Krishna Consciousness, and being eternal, this original consciousness can't be lost, although it may be temporarily covered. Due to free will, the soul comes to the material world, where due to the identification with the false ego, the soul gradually beco...

p to this point, we had a description of the creation of the material elements, which is part of the primary creation performed by the Lord. Up to this point, there are no material universes, just the mass of material elements in the form of the mahat-tattva. The elements are now manifest, but still not assembled in the form of the universes. The next verses explain how the universes came into bei...

From the same combination of false ego and the material mode of passion from the creation of intelligence, the senses are created. The five senses for acquiring knowledge (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch) depend on the intelligence to work, while the senses of action (the tongue, hands, legs, genital and excretory system) depend on the vital energy (prana) to operate. In this way, the vital ai...

The previous chapters in the second and third canto of Srimad Bhagavatam include several descriptions of the creation of the universe. Each of these descriptions brings new details, helping us to progressively grow our understanding. These different explanations may seem at first disconnected from each other, but they just offer the same description from different angles, just like a description o...

In this second part of the course on the teachings of Lord Kapila, we will study the nature of this material world and our relationship with it. The soul is transcendental, just like the Lord is, but because the soul is very small, it can fall under the control of material energy, while the Lord never falls into illusion. Even though it may be dificult to understand how the transcendental soul fal...