Nithyanandeshwara Samaarambhaam
Nithyanandeshwari Madhyamaam |
Asmath Aachaarya Paryanthaam
Vandhey Guru Paramparaam ||
I welcome all the devotees, disciples, samajis,
satsanghis, Shrimahants, Mahants, Thanedars,
Kotharis, visitors, viewers, sitting with
us all over the world through Nithyananda TV,
Sadhna TV, and two-way video-conferencing
having Nayana Deeksha all over the world.
Cities sitting with us in two-way video-conferencing:
Enriching Temple-Bidadi, Colombo-Sri Lanka,
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Warrington-UK, Calgary-Amarnath, Oman-Sivagangai,
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Kong-Sirkazhi, Port Washington-New York, Kuala
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North, Houston-Kalahasthi, Los Angeles-Arunachalam,
Singapore-Singapuram, Hyderabad-Gupta Kashi,
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Scottsdale-Arizona, Melbourne-Tiruvarur, Los
Angeles-Hollywood, St. Louis-Tirumala.....and
more cities are joining.
I welcome every one of you with my love and blessings.
Today, the second day of the NithyanandaBrahmotsava! Nithyanandeshwara and Nithyanandeshwari and
Nithyananda, all the three are gracing in
“Sarvalankara”, alankara of Arunachaleshwara.
Now, today we have Arudra Brahmotsavam. That
is also actually a Brahmotsavam in Chidambaram.
We are not celebrating it for ten days. So
we call it as just “Natarajar Abhishekam”.
Today we have the sacred bath and puja for
Nataraja in Nithyanandeshwara Temple. 
And, of course, in Seattle-Chidambaram also, we
will be performing abhishekam and puja.
Today is the day Mahadeva did the Cosmic Dance, and Ramana Maharshi’s Jayanthi dhinam (Jayanthi Day).
Today, Ramana Maharshi was born, Manickavasagar
Swami had darshan of Mahadeva.
Pantanjali was shown the Cosmic Dance on this very day.
Alright! It is actually festival season! Between
this Karthigai and Thai (the Tamil month of
“Karthigai” which began on 15 November
2014, and the Tamil month of “Thai” which begins on 15 January 2015),
 these two-and-a-half
months, starts with Karthigai, and till the
middle of Thai, the two-and-a-half months
is the heavy festival season.
Let us enter into Upanishads. UPANISHADS!
Actually, just every day when
I come and sit here and utter that word, “Upanishads”,
the way the truths are overflowing, verbalization
becomes a big job! Finding ideas is not at
all a big job; verbalising them has become
a big job!
There are tons of books 
and tons of authors. But, this book, Upanishads,
to tell you honestly, if I have to put it
a little poetically, the words feel shy to introduce Upanishads! Words feel shy to introduce Upanishads!
 If a child asks, ‘What is the
size of an apple?’, you can show like this
(Swamiji gestures with his hands). ‘What
is the size of a pumpkin?’, you can show
like this (Swamiji again gestures with his
hands). If the child asks, ‘What is the
size of the Planet Earth?’, can you show
like this? (Swamiji spreads his arms wide).
No! This is not in any way signifying the
size of the Planet Earth! You can show, ‘This
big!’ (Swamiji again spreads his arms wide).
But, that is in no way signifying the size
of the Planet Earth! That is in no way doing
justification to the size of the Planet Earth!
Please understand! So, what will I do with
these words to introduce Upanishads? I can
only pull my mouth like this and say, “It
is this big!’
The way they introduce you to you, the way
they introduce the world to you, the way they
introduce god to you, the way they introduce
life to you, nothing can be compared to Upanishads.
Whether the purity of the substance they are
delivering, or the poetic way they are expressing,
or the very sound in which they have nicely
embedded the vibrations of Kundalini awakening!
Upanishads not only have a linguistic and
poetic importance, meaning, they have even
phonetic importance. Even phonetically they
are important. Actually, by the religious
historians classifying Upanishads under Hinduism,
they brought a great respect to Hinduism.
And, of course, Hindus are the inheritors.
It is our inheritance, no doubt. But we need
to live it and share it with the world. It
does not belong just to us. Please understand,
we might have been inheritors, but it does
not belong just to us; it belongs to the whole universe!
Actually, I am feeling so much to start talking
on the verses, on the Upanishads! And I feel
I have not done justice to introducing, I
have not set the context; because, only from
the right context it should be taught. I have
not set the context. I have to set the context.
“Upanishad” means, “sitting”, that’s
all! Just “sitting”! We can give the meaning
“sitting at the feet of the Master”, or,
“sitting with the Divine”. But the word
“Upanishad” means, “sitting”, that’s
all! When you sit, when YOU sit – I don’t
say your body sits; I am not saying your body
sits – when YOU sit, Truth is revealed!
Upanishads! See, when the rishis sat within
them in Samadhi, their whole being started
vibrating, reverberating with the sacred truths.
The whole being started vibrating and reverberating
with the sacred truths. The Cosmos started
singing through them. The Cosmos started radiating
through them. That expression is Upanishads!
That expression is Upanishads! Upanishads!
That is why, in Sanskrit, we define a “Rishi”
as “Mantra Drashta” – “who sees mantra”,
understand? Not “the one who writes mantra”,
or “listens to mantra”. No! “Who sees
mantra”! Means, when you are experiencing,
always even the sound will be perceived by
the eyes, understand?. If the sound is heard
by the ears, you are “hearing”.
If the sound is perceived by all five senses, you
are “experiencing”. So, sound, even seen,
mantras seen, when your eyes experience sound,
the lines you experience are only called “Akshara”.
Please understand, our rishis experienced
each sound. अ (“ah”), when they experienced
that sound (the sound अ – “ah”), what
was the line through which their eyes experienced
that sound, that line becomes “Akshara”.
They were so highly evolved, so free of worries,
all their survival needs are fulfilled, and
they were in such high space. That is the beauty!
Ganga (the River Ganges), Ganga is responsible
for the Upanishads, I tell you. The way she
made the Ganges Valley rich! All the basic
needs she provided. She supplied everything!
Fortunately there was no war; no need for
them (the rishis) to fight or defend.
All the natural energies were supporting. All
the needs are fulfilled. And no need to fight
for survival. That ambience, that space created
such an amazing possibility, such an amazing possibility
 – “such an amazing possibility”,
that is the right word I will use – such
an amazing possibility for them to sit within
themselves with the Cosmos, with the universe, with Nature.
Existence has started singing
about itself through them.
The background setting of each Upanishads
is so different, but the truths radiated by
them are all so beautifully synchronised.
One reveals the truth about the universe,
one reveals the truth about humans, one reveals
the truth about death, one reveals the truth
about life. It is like all our questions are
blasted, and you are there in the cognition
of the Cosmos, and the whole Cosmos is there
in your cognition. Cosmic Cognition!
When the Cosmos is in your cognition, you are in
the Cosmos’ cognition! When Cosmos is in
your cognition, you are in the cognition of
the Cosmos! The Cosmic Cognition! To put a
human being into Cosmic Cognition whatever
understanding is required, everything is beautifully
presented and repeated, understand. Presented
and repeated! And all the possible doubts
which can arise are answered. That is why
I am saying, it (Upanishads) belongs to the
whole universe. We may have it, but it belongs to the whole universe. See, it is like a pharmaceutical company,
it has a formula for cancer, drug
to cure cancer. That company may own it, but
the drug itself, the cancer drug itself belongs
to the whole world. Whoever has cancer should
be provided with that drug. Same way, we may
own the Upanishads, we may have inherited it,
but it belongs to the whole world. Whoever
is suffering with delusion, Maya, illusion,
should be given these Upanishads. We should
share with them.
Fortunately, the first ever book I was introduced
to in my life, before even any schoolbook
entered my life, the first ever book I was
introduced to, is the Upanishads by Isakki Swamigal.
And still we have that copy with
us; we have that book; the four major Upanishads,
Tamil translation. At that time, I cannot read; he (Isakki Swamigal) will read and give explanations.
Kuppammal will ask questions,
and he will give answers. And, actually, only
through that book I even learnt the alphabets!
Fortunately, even the language was taught
to me only by my gurus. I did not go to school
that regularly to learn something from that
school. I went to school whenever there were
no festivals in the temple, when I was free,
which is less than sixty days in a year. Please
understand, Tiruvannamalai Temple has at least
three-hundred days festivals in a year! And
in those sixty days, sometimes it will be
summer holidays for the school, and weekends.
Anyhow... Because I learnt the language to
study the Upanishads, that book has become
so part of me! It is actually a Tamil translation
and Commentary. I can literally just repeat
the whole book! I can just literally repeat
the whole book!
Sometimes Kuppammal will read the book, and
Isakki Swamigal will explain. She will ask
some real serious questions, and Isakki Swamigal
will answer. I will not ask anything, I will
not talk anything. I will never ask any question.
I will just sit and listen.
Suddenly Kuppamal asked Isakki Swamigal, ‘Swamiji,
this fellow is not asking any question.
I think he is not understanding anything.’
Then Isakki Swamigal laughed and said, ‘No,
I am observing; throughout all these days,
his eyes have expanded and are very attentive,
but his eyebrows never hit each other having
a doubt or question in his head. So, through
his body language and facial expression, I
know he is understanding the whole thing,
he is internalizing the whole thing.’
That is the first time I understood that if
your eyes are wide open, you are attentive;
and if your eyebrows are hitting each other,
you are a little confused or you have a question,
you are not able to cognize that part. What
a subtle study of the body language!
If you do like this (Swamiji frowns, bringing his
eyebrows together), it means there is some
part you don’t understand, you are not cognizing;
but if you do like this (Swamiji opens his
eyes wide open), you are just imbibing!
He said, ‘His eyes are wide open, awake,
alive, available, receiving; but his eyebrows
never hit each other showing any doubt or
unable to cognize it. And I saw his inner-space
is completely imbibing it, internalizing it.’
I bow down to my gurus – guru and paramaguru
– who introduced the Upanishads to me in this
body, offer my gratitude to them before entering
into the Upanishads. Please understand,
I may be a born enlightened being, or I may
be an incarnation, whatever. But, in this body,
these great Masters have introduced
the Upanishads to me. So I bow down to both
of them with my gratitude –guru and paramaguru.
With their blessings, and with Mahadeva’s
grace, invoking the presence of all the rishis,
I am bringing these great Upanishads to all of you.
Every sound, every letter, every word, every
line of these Upanishads is vibrant with a powerful,
a powerful cognition! Powerful cognition! Powerful cognition! Actually, still the Upanishads keep India alive!
It is Upanishads which is the backbone of India! Upanishads is the backbone of the concept of “Bharat”.
Upanishads are the backbone of human spiritual
aspirations and realizations.
All the spiritual aspirations and realizations we have, put together, is Upanishads. Upanishads are the
embodiment of billions of people’s millions
of years of spiritual realization.
Upanishads! There is nothing which is left
out in the Upanishads. There is not a single
word unnecessary in the Upanishads. You can
neither edit them nor comment on them. “Commentary”
means: something is left unexplained; you
need to explain. “Editing” means: something
extra is there which is not required. No!
No editing is possible, no commentary is possible.
Editing is not only not possible, it is not
permissible. Commentary is permissible, 
but, I tell you, it is practically not possible,
because, there is nothing which is unexplained.
All Commentaries are repetitions or highlighting
of some ideas which they wanted to highlight,
that’s all; whether it is Shankara, Ramanuja,
Madhwa, or whoever wrote “bhashyas”, commentaries.
I am telling you, Commentaries on Upanishads
is not possible. It is permissible as dharmically,
but not possible. May be Shankara wanted to
highlight some concepts which is in the Upanishads;
so he highlights in his Commentary. May be
Ramanuja wanted to organize it in a certain
way and present it for you to become enlightened;
so he highlights some of the things. Highlighting
may be possible, commenting itself is not,
because, there is nothing left unsaid in these
great Upanishads. There is nothing unsaid!
Before climbing the Arunachala Hill to light
the deepam (lamp), those devotees will prostrate
in front of the hill and go around and apologize
to Him for climbing by putting their foot
on the hill. I am exactly in that mood! Before
entering into the Upanishads, before even
uttering them through my mouth, I just wanted
to surrender to Veda Matha and the Upanishadic
rishis that, ‘Let me not do any disrespect
to the sathyas (truths), tattwas (principles),
words, sounds, the whole Upanishads. Let me
just radiate whatever is your intentions.
Let it be presented as you all wanted.’
Because, you cannot comment on it! See, if
there is something left unsaid, you can comment
on it. See, editing is neither possible nor
permissible; that is one of the great things!
All acharyas, even the people who don’t
accept Hinduism, had the basic ethics of “no
editing”. We may accept or not accept.
See, for example, there are some paragraphs in
the Upanishads that Ramanuja may not accept;
but no editing. He never did it! And same
way, Charvakas – materialists – they may
not accept some of the verses; but no editing.
Even Buddhists who don’t accept Vedas,
they may not accept some of the Upanishads, but
no editing. Buddhists accept one Upanishad
– Mahanirvana Upanishad. They don’t accept
other Upanishads. But, no editing! Even the
palm leaves maintained in Buddhist libraries,
monasteries, when you pick up the Upanishads,
you will see it is so authentically penned
down; no editing, no manipulation, no distortion.
I bow down to this great Indian lifestyle,
culture, tradition: even enemy’s books,
even the books you don’t accept, you don’t
manipulate, edit, or distort! What an honesty
and integrity! What an integrity! Same way,
the archives of the Shankara Mathas, if you
go and collect and see the palm leaves of
some of the Buddhist sutras, I guarantee,
it will be hundred percent the truth, and
exactly as it is! They may not accept Buddhism,
but never ever anyone will dare to interpolate,
manipulate, or add, delete words.
“This is the original Buddhist Prajñāpāramitā
Sutra”. We won’t accept, but we won’t manipulate,
we won’t do interpolation. You
can go to any Buddhist monastery, university,
library, and pick up their version of Upanishads.
It will be as authentic as the palm leaves
you can recover from the original Hindu monasteries.
There will never be any confusion! The original text!
That is something unimaginable integrity!
The honesty to Vani, Saraswathi! Respect to
Vani, Saraswathi!
This Upanishads, which is the lifeline of
Vedic Tradition, lifeline of Hindu Tradition,
lifeline of Bharat, is a joy even to remember,
I tell you! It is a joy to remember Upanishads!
I will continue to expand on Upanishads.
With this, I bless you all! Let you all radiate
with Integrity, Authenticity, Responsibility,
Enriching and Causing Living Advaitha, eternal
bliss, Nithyananda! Thank you! Be blissful!
