Aitareya Upanishad in English | Advaita Vedanta | Rigveda Upanishad | Consciousness is Brahman

0:00 Have you ever asked, "Who am I? Is this body the I? Or is it the mind? Or something else, which we can never see, but which is seeing everything?" Aitareya Upanishad, this divine scripture that arose in the shadow of the Rigveda, gives us the answers to these questions, not just through reasoning, but through experience. This is no ordinary scripture.

0:31 It reveals the origin of the soul, the plan of Brahman, and the mystery of the three births of life. Today, we will begin the journey of this mystery from the first section of the first chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad. This is not just Vedanta. It is the quest for that fundamental question of life, which every conscious soul has surely asked at some point. So, come. Let us descend into our innermost being, towards that soul which is beyond speech, yet is established in speech. Aitareya Upanishad, first chapter, first section.

1:12 In the beginning of the entire creation, there was only the soul. It was the only one. There was neither any other object, nor any consciousness, nor any existence. Everything was like zero. Only the soul existed within itself. That soul thought, "Now, I will create the worlds." That soul created various worlds. First, it created the Amba world, which is beyond water and situated at a divine height.

1:47 After that, it created the Marici world, which is spread out as a luminous sky. Then, it created the Maru world, which is the region between the Earth and the sky. That is, the world in which we live our lives. Then it created Apa, or the water element, which is situated below the Earth. Thus, from top to bottom, Amb, Marichi, Marut, and Apa, four worlds were established. That soul then reconsidered that to maintain movement and balance in these worlds, their protectors or presiding deities are necessary.

2:29 Then that Brahman element created a man from water. Raising that man from the water, it gave him consciousness and life. That Brahma purified that man, filling him with energy and strength. Just as an egg cooks and then life emerges from it, similarly, consciousness flowed into that man's body. And then, various organs were formed. First, his mouth appeared.

3:02 The mouth produced speech, and from speech, fire was generated. After this, his nostrils appeared. From the nostrils arose the life force, and from the life force, the air was created. Then his eyes appeared. From the eyes arose vision, and the presiding deity of vision became the sun. Then the ears appeared. From the ears emerged the power of hearing, and its connection was established with the directions.

3:36 Then his skin appeared. From the skin developed hair, and from the hair originated plants and medicines. Then the heart appeared. From the heart arose the mind, and from the mind manifested the moon. Then his navel appeared. From the navel was born the apana vayu, downward moving breath, and from apana came the onset of death. Finally, his phallus appeared.

4:08 From the phallus was produced semen, and from semen the element of water was reaffirmed. Thus, Brahma created the man from the soul, and from that man arose all the senses, deities, worlds, and elements. This is the profound secret of creation, which the sages realized through their inner self and imparted to us in the form of the Upanishads. Aitareya Upanishad First chapter, second section.

4:40 After the creation of all these deities, they all entered this vast cosmic ocean. That is, the immense water mass of the universe. However, there they faced a problem. They became afflicted with hunger and thirst. Then they went to the supreme being who had created them and said, "Create for us a foundation, a medium in which we can be established and consume food, so that our hunger and thirst may be quenched."

5:15 Then the supreme being created a cow for them and said, "This can be your foundation." But the deities tested it and said, "No. This is not sufficient to fulfill our purpose." Then God created a horse. The gods also examined it and said, "No. This is not suitable for us, either." Then finally, God created a man. The gods saw that man and joyfully said, "Blessed is this creation. This man is truly an excellent creation.

5:52 This creation has succeeded." Then they asked God, "Can we enter this man?" Then Brahma instructed them, "As you wish. Enter this man and take your respective places." Then fire took the form of speech and entered the man's mouth. Air took the form of life force and entered the nostrils. The sun took the form of sight and entered the eyes.

6:22 The directions took the form of the power of hearing and settled in the ears. Medicines and plants took the form of hair and entered the skin. The moon took the form of the mind and entered the heart. Death took the form of the downward moving air and settled in the navel. And the water element took the form of semen and entered the penis. Then hunger and thirst, who were still dissatisfied, said to Brahma, "Let us also experience through some medium.

6:59 Let us also enter." Then Brahma replied, "I will also divide you both among the gods. I establish you as a part of the gods. That is why even today, when a special deity is offered a haven or worship, hunger and thirst also participate in it. They take their share in that offering or sacrifice along with the deity. Therefore, wherever an offering is made to any one deity, hunger and thirst inevitably become participants in that offering." Aitareya Upanishad, first chapter, third section. Now that supreme being thought again.

7:44 The creation of these worlds has been completed and the guardians of these worlds have also been created. Now there should be the origin of food for them so that they can live. He heated the water. From that heat of penance a form was produced. That very form born from that penance was actually food. This food became the means of nourishment for living beings. The food that Brahma had produced began to move outward.

8:17 It was slipping out of his grasp. Then Brahma tried to catch it with speech. But he could not catch it through speech. He thought that if I could catch this food with speech, I would have obtained it by speaking. Then he tried to catch the food with breath, prana. But even prana was not able to grasp it. Brahma thought that if I could catch it with prana, I would have obtained it through breathing. Then he tried to grasp the food with his eyes.

8:48 But even through vision, he could not obtain it. He thought that if it were possible through sight, then just by seeing the food would be acquired. Then he tried to grasp it through the sense of hearing. But the food could not be caught by the ears either. If it were possible through hearing, then just by listening the food would be obtained. Then he tried to grasp it by touch through the skin. But the skin was also unsuccessful.

9:19 If that were the case, then by touching the food would be received. After this, he tried to grasp the food with the mind. But even with thought, he could not obtain the food. If it were possible with the mind, then mere meditation would have sufficed to satisfy hunger. Then he tried to grasp it with the phallus. But even then, he could not get the food. If that were possible, then food would have been obtained through emission.

9:51 Finally, he tried to grasp the food through the apana vayu, downward moving breath. At that very moment, he succeeded. It is this place of the apana, the area below the navel, that can truly receive the food. Therefore, it is the apana that becomes the medium for receiving food. That is why it is said that the air which goes out of the body is actually the one that brings the food inside.

10:25 This is the vayu. This is the prana. Now Brahma thought, amidst all this, who am I? If the speech speaks, the life breathes, the eyes see, the ears hear, the skin feels, the mind meditates, the apana, downward breath, receives, and the organ of emission discharges, then which one of these am I?

10:56 Then Brahma pierced through a special boundary and entered. This boundary is called the door. That entry is called vidruti. It is the path leading to bliss. The soul has three abodes, the waking state, the dream state, and the deep sleep state. These are the three states in which the soul dwells. When that soul incarnated in the body, it looked at all other beings and pondered, am I the greatest?

11:30 Or is there anyone different from me? Within itself, it saw a divine man, a man who pervaded the entire universe. It realized that I am Brahman. There is no one else besides me. What I am seeing is my own consciousness. This is the direct experience of Brahman. That is why it was named Idamdra, meaning the one who sees all this.

12:04 Over time, this name Idamdra became Indra. Although its true name was Idamdra, the gods prefer indirect names. So, it was called Indra. The gods truly favor the indirect. They give more importance to indirect and mysterious forms. Aitareya Upanishad, second chapter. When a man produces semen, the beginning of conception occurs. This seed is the essence of the accumulated energy from his entire body, which is the core of his entire strength.

12:40 This energy within the man holds the self form within itself. And when the man plants that seed in the woman, at that very moment the womb is formed. This is its first birth. After this, the seed enters the woman and becomes a part of her, as if it has merged into one of her own limbs. Therefore, the man does not harm the woman in any way, because she is the self form of that seed. The woman carries that womb, which is now a part of the man, within herself in the form of the self, and she nurtures it.

13:18 Thus, the woman becomes a nurturer of emotions. That is, she feels emotions, pays attention to them, and nurtures them. And therefore, she herself also becomes one to be nurtured. She becomes a recipient of the man's emotions. She carries that womb within herself. And when the child is born, the man influences the child from the moment of birth through his thoughts and impressions. The man who guides this newborn child from the very first moments of its birth is in fact recreating his own form.

13:57 This process is the means of maintaining the lineage of worlds. Thus, it is called the second birth. When the soul expresses itself again in the form of a child. Beyond this, the same soul, when it takes a body as a result of good deeds, is established in the realms of virtue. And when the final stage of life comes, the body ages, duties are fulfilled, then that soul departs from this world. However, if it's karma remains, it is born again.

14:31 This is its third birth. A sage deeply experienced this truth and said, "Even when I was in the womb, I had already known the origin of the gods and their mysteries. I, sage Vamadeva, had attained this self-knowledge while still lying in the womb. I crossed a hundred iron fortress-like bonds. I became upward moving from below with the speed of a hawk and entered into all knowledge."

15:04 One who knows in this way, at the time of death, rises above the body and flows towards the heavenly realm. Upon reaching there, he fulfills all desires and attains immortality. He realizes himself as the soul, Brahman, and the original form of creation, thereby attaining completeness. Aitareya Upanishad, third chapter.

15:34 What is this soul that we worship with focused attention? Who is this soul? Who is the one through whom we see, through whom we hear, through whom we perceive smell, through whom we speak with speech, and through whom we experience the sweet and the bitter? It is the same that resides within us as the heart and mind. That is the soul.

16:06 It is the consciousness that experiences both knowledge and ignorance. That is discernment. That is wisdom. That is intellect. That is vision. That is patience. That is contemplation. That is inner motivation. That is memory, determination, sacrificial power, life force, desire, and control power.

16:40 The element that works behind all these is wisdom. And the essence of all these is the soul. This wisdom is truly Brahman. It is Indra. It is Prajapati. It is the source of all the gods. It is the consciousness that pervades the five great elements, earth, air, sky, water, and fire. This entire visible world is made from this, whether it is subtle or gross, born from a seed or from a womb, hatched from an egg, produced by sweat, or sprouted.

17:21 All kinds of beings, such as horses, cows, humans, elephants, whatever creatures move, fly, or remain stationary, all arise from that same consciousness. All beings exist in the vision of that consciousness, are established in it. All worlds are operated by that consciousness. Consciousness is their foundation. And that same consciousness is Brahman.

17:52 The soul endowed with this consciousness moves beyond this world and attains the heavenly realm. There it fulfills all desires and attains immortality. It becomes complete, equalized. This Upanishad gives us the profound understanding that the soul is not a limited element, but the supreme consciousness that is the foundation of the entire creation. And this wisdom is Brahman. This Upanishad is not just a text, it is a glimpse of the soul itself.

18:28 If you have felt anything, a thought, a vibration, a silence, it is the experience of that same Brahman whose voice has been expressed here. Incorporate this divine knowledge into your life and participate in spreading this awareness to others. Share the video. Write your thoughts below. And stay with us on this journey of self-realization. Thank you.