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Editorial

Realizing Brahman As Infinite Bliss (Part 1)

(Taittiriya Upanishad–Brahmananda Valli)

The Taittiriya Upanishad, part of the Krishna Yajur Veda, is a systematically structured and organized Upanishad. It consists of three chapters:

• Shiksha Valli, which covers instructions and preparations for Brahma Vidya (the Ultimate Knowledge);
• Brahmananda Valli, also called Ananda Valli, which reveals Brahman as infinite bliss; and
• Bhrigu Valli, which describes the spiritual seeker’s (in this case, Bhrigu’s) direct experience of Brahman through tapas (austerities).

Together, these three form a complete curriculum of spiritual education–preparation, revelation, and realization. What makes this Upanishad extraordinary is its insistence that Brahma Vidya, the supreme knowledge of Brahman, cannot be attained without adequate preparation.

Shiksha Valli–The Foundation

The direct teaching about the infinite Brahman begins only in the Brahmananda Valli, but the Shiksha Valli is the essential foundation upon which the entire structure of Self-knowledge is built. In the editorial of the March 2026 issue of this magazine, we discussed Shiksha Valli and how it prepares the body, speech, mind, and character for receiving the highest knowledge. We also explored in detail the most renowned passage in the Shiksha Valli, specifically the convocation address delivered by the teacher to the graduating student, which contains important ethical exhortations treasured for millennia. Based on this code of conduct, Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba exhorts that the seeker should never swerve from the path of truth and dharma, or duties toward God and ancestors. He emphasizes that they should treat mother, father, guru, and guest as God, and resort only to actions free from errors, omissions, and faults. Without this moral foundation, knowledge of Brahman cannot be acquired.

The Vyahriti Meditation

Besides what we already explored in the Shiksha Valli, we need to examine this important concept. Vyahriti meditation involves contemplation of the seven great mystical utterances, which are considered the essence of the Vedas. They are bhur (earth), bhuvah (atmosphere), suvah (heaven), mahah (heart), janah (cosmic power), tapah (divine Intellect), and sathyam (ultimate truth). These terms represent progressively subtler levels of reality from the gross to the ultimate truth. 

The seeker who meditates on these Vyahritis learns to move through the entire spectrum of existence in consciousness, preparing for Brahmananda Valli’s teaching about the koshas (sheaths covering the Atman), which similarly range from the gross to the subtle. 

Pranava Upasana (Chanting of Om)

Also, the eighth anuvaka in the Shiksha Valli reveals Om as the key to all knowledge. Om is Brahman, and Om is everything. The sacred syllable is described as the essence of the Vedas, the sound form of the ultimate reality. Meditation on Om purifies the mind and creates a direct conduit between the individual consciousness and the universal consciousness. For an in-depth discussion on Om, the reader is referred to the editorial, Om: Its Power and Secrets in the October 2022 issue of this magazine. 

Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba exhorts all spiritual seekers to start the day by chanting Om (Pranava Upasana), since Om is Brahman itself. That is why we chant Om 21 times early in the morning. The first five Oms purify the Karmendriyas, organs of action; the next five purify the Jnanendriyas, organs of perception; and the following five Oms purify the five vital airs, Pancha Pranas–Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, and Samana. The last set of five Oms purifies the Pancha Koshas (five sheaths), which will be discussed in the next section. The 21st Om represents Atman, or Brahman. Finally, after we purify everything through chanting Om, which is Pranava, only then can we experience the Atman. 

Lord Krishna also emphasizes this point (BG 8.13):

Tapas According to Shiksha Valli

Another important section discussed in the ninth anuvaka (section) is tapas–austerity, self-discipline, and commitment to the pursuit of truth. Multiple forms of austerities are described, namely: ritam (order in the universal according to truth); sathyam (absolute unchanging truth) that remains unchanging in all the three times of past, present, and future; the study of scriptures (swadhyaya); and finally, the act of teaching (pravachana). This is very significant because it shows that tapas is not merely a physical exercise or mortification but an all-encompassing discipline that includes intellectual pursuit, moral integrity, and selfless service in sharing knowledge.

Finally, the Shiksha Valli concludes with a meditation that integrates everything that has come before, ending with a peace invocation. The student is now ready–purified in speech, disciplined in conduct, trained in meditation, and endowed with ethical discernment to recognize Brahman as the underlying reality of all existence. The curtain is ready to rise on Brahmananda Valli.

Transition to Brahmananda Valli

In the Taittiriya Upanishad, the second chapter, the magnificent Brahmananda Valli, which focuses on the bliss of Brahman, is the crown jewel. The transition from Shiksha Valli to Brahmananda Valli is marked by a new peace invocation–the famous Sahanavavatu prayer: 

This prayer sets a tone where it is recognized that both student and teacher are already part of Brahman.

sathyam jnanam anantam brahma Threefold Definition of Brahman

The Brahmananda Valli begins with one of the most profound statements in Vedantic philosophy, “Brahmavid apnoti param” (the knower of Brahman attains the Supreme). The entire spiritual philosophy of Vedanta is encapsulated in this aphorism. Brahman, the absolute, the boundless, the innermost reality of all things, can be known, and this knowledge is the highest one can attain. The knower of Brahman who realizes ‘I am Brahman,’ (aham Brahmasmi) fulfills all desires, transcends all sorrow, and attains the ultimate bliss–the highest state.

It then describes Brahman through three attributes–sathyam, truth or reality; jnanam, knowledge or consciousness; and anantam, infinite or limitless–highlighting the essential nature of Brahman itself. Bhagawan Baba often sings this in His beautiful, melodious voice in the bhajan “Sathyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma.”  He also explains these three terms with clarity and precision. 

Sathyam means that Brahman is the unchanging reality. No matter what form an object takes, if that form stays the same under all conditions, at all times, and in all places, it is sathyam, the ultimate reality. If it changes, it is asathyam (not sathyam). Brahman alone is that which never changes. 

Jnanam here doesn’t mean ordinary knowledge that involves a knower and the known, like most materialistic sciences and worldly knowledge. It signifies pure consciousness, the Self-luminous awareness that enables all forms of knowledge. 

Anantam means that Brahman is eternal and not bound or limited by time. It is all-pervading and not limited by space. It is also not limited by any other object. It is one without a second. Together, these three characteristics point to a reality that is the very basis of all that exists–it is the pure, Self-aware, boundless presence that the Upanishads call Brahman.

Brahman is that from which all beings are born, by which they live, and into which they merge when they cease to exist.

Lord Sri Krishna explains the same concept in the Dhyana Yoga, which is also called Atma Samyama Yoga (BG 6.21 to 6.23).

Thus, Lord Krishna assures us that once we experience Brahman, it leads to eternal bliss and the permanent cessation of sorrow. (atyanthika dukha nivrithi and niratisaya ananda prapthi).

Pancha Kosha Viveka–Knowledge of  the Five Sheaths

Having defined Brahman as truth, knowledge, and infinite reality (sathyam, jnanam, and anantam), the Upanishad presents a challenge: if Brahman is all-pervading and already present within every heart and every place, why do we not recognize it? The answer lies in the concept of the Pancha Kosha, the five sheaths, which the Upanishad describes as the layers of identification that hide the light of pure consciousness. Therefore, the Pacha Kosha Viveka, or discrimination of the five sheaths, is the central meditative technique of the Brahmananda Valli, guiding the student’s mind gradually from the grossest to the most subtle dimensions of experience, until all objects are perceived as infinite Brahman. 

First is the Annamaya Kosha, or the food sheath. The outermost layer of identity is the physical body. The Upanishad teaches that all creatures come from food, survive through food, and return to food. This is the most basic level of self-identification–“I am this body.” The seeker must recognize that while the body is real as an instrument, it is not the true Self. That is why Baba beautifully says that this body is like a temple, but the inner reality is the indwelling Self, the Atma (Deho devalaya proktho jeevo devah sanathana). 

To transcend from the gross to the subtle, the body given to us should be used for service. As Swami often says, “the body is meant to be sanctified by serving others” (Paropakarartham Idam Shareeram). He also urges us to “Bend the body, mend the senses, end the mind”–this is our duty in the pursuit of the knowledge of Brahman. 

Swami also beautifully explains that we are three entities: the one we think we are–the body (not true); the one that others think we are–the mind (also not true); the one we really are–the Atman or Brahman (the only truth). To realize this truth, we first need to purify our body through good deeds, service, and spiritual practices like japa and meditation, which purify the body and the mind.

Second is the Pranamaya Kosha, or the vital energy sheath. The life force that animates the body is subtler than the physical body. There are five pranas–prana, apana, vyana, udana, and samana–which regulate the body’s vital functions. Prana is the air in the heart and lungs; apana is in the abdomen; vyana permeates the entire body; udana is in the throat; and samana is present in the navel region. These are the various vital airs that make the embodied being function properly. However, when prana departs, the body collapses into inert matter. Yet prana itself is not the Self. It too is an object of experience, an energy that arises and subsides.

The Five Koshas (Sheaths) Covering the ATMA

Third is the Manomaya Kosha, or the mental sheath. This is the layer of emotions, desires, memories, and the constant flow of thoughts. The mind is considered a bundle of thoughts (sankalpa vikalpatmakam manaha), and it is here that most human suffering originates. Swami says that the mind is responsible for both bondage and liberation. A series of divine discourses on the mind and its mysteries is being published in this magazine, showing its significance for a spiritual seeker who wants to attain liberation. The mind, along with the five sense organs, makes up this sheath. It is subtler and more powerful than prana because it directs the life force. Yet, it is changeable, can be deluded, and it disappears in deep sleep, while the Self, the Atma, continues to exist at all times. 

Swami offers simple solutions for controlling the mind, and He explains them beautifully. First, in the beginning stage, watch the mind. Don’t try to catch the mind, just observe it. Be a witness, noticing the different thought processes. Once you observe it, do not let negative thoughts enter, and only entertain positive thoughts. Then still the mind or calm the mind so that it doesn’t wander all over. Once you still the mind, slowly try to replace bad thoughts with good thoughts. Ultimately, even remove the good thoughts. It is just like how you remove a thorn in your foot with another thorn and ultimately throw away both thorns! Similarly, a state comes when the mind is annihilated (manonasha), enabling you to experience the Self.

Fourth is the Vijnanamaya Kosha, or the sheath of intellect. It is the faculty of discrimination, reasoning, understanding, and determination. While the mind deliberates, it is the intellect that decides (nischayatma buddhi). If the buddhi says that this is the right course of action, then we follow buddhi. But in spiritual life, one must practice fundamental discrimination between the eternal and the transient, and the buddhi should be guided to follow only the eternal and not the transient. This is the layer closest to Brahman in the ascending hierarchy of the Pancha Koshas. When the intellect is purified and turned inward, it becomes the very instrument of Self-realization. However, even the intellect is not the Self; it is an instrument.

Fifth and final is the Anandamaya Kosha, the sheath of bliss. It is the most subtle and innermost of the five sheaths. This is the experience of bliss one feels in deep, dreamless sleep, where the mind and senses have ceased functioning, leaving one in a state of peace and joy. This is also experienced in moments of deep meditation. Yet even this bliss sheath is not Brahman itself. It is a reflection of Atman’s inherent bliss rather than Brahman in its full nature.

True Self is Beyond the Sheaths 

The deeper teaching of the Pancha Kosha Viveka shows that the five sheaths are not a cage to escape from, but rather a doorway to continued learning. One learns an important lesson after going through all five sheaths and recognizing that none of them is the Self. The Self is the witness of all five sheaths. It is that which knows the body, knows the life force, knows the mind, knows the intellect, and even knows the presence and the absence of bliss. 

That is why in this Pancha Kosha Vivarana, the famous quotations are:

Yatho vacho nivarthanthe aprapya manasa saha (Brahman is that phenomenon that words cannot describe and the mind cannot fathom).

Anando brahmano vidvan na bhibheti kutaschaneti (Brahman is beyond all fear in this world and elsewhere.)

Having explored the profound framework of the Pancha Koshas and understood that the true Self lies beyond these layers, the seeker stands at the threshold of a deeper revelation. What is this Brahman that pervades all creation? How does this infinite reality manifest as the universe, and more importantly, how is it experienced as bliss? In the next part, the Upanishad unveils the mystery of creation, reveals Brahman as the very essence of joy, and takes us through the awe-inspiring gradations of bliss–culminating in the realization of absolute oneness and fearlessness.

Jai Sai Ram.