Podcast Credits -

The Concept, Script, Narration and Audio Design: Arghya Goswami

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Credits, Acknowledgements and Source Contents

Source content collected from various books on Upanishads such as “Messages of the Upanishads” by Swami Ranganathanada, “The Brhadaaranyaka Upanishad” by Swami Madhavananda, “Eight Upanishads” from Advaita Ashrama, Upanishads.org, “Vedas and Upanishads for Children” by Roopa Pai and several other write-ups and thoughts on Upanishads. 

Background Music is sourced from various royalty-free music sources, Apple Loops and Internet Archives with a Non-Commercial 4.0 International license. Aum Shantih chants are from Youtube - source - Gaiea Sanskrit.

Music -

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Transcript of the Podcast

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Tat Tvam Asi - That Art Thou - Story of Uddalaka and Shwetaketu 

Dear friends and listeners, today’s episode is very important as it talks about the one of the four Mahavaakya’s mentioned in the Upanishads. Tat Tvam Asi - which means “That Art Thou” or “That is you!” Today’s story is about the great Vedic sage Uddalaka Aaruni and his son Shwetaketu. This story is mentioned in Chaandogya Upanishad, 6th Prapathaka or section. Before we start today’s story a bit about both the principle characters. 

Sage Uddalaka is mentioned in many philosophical discussions mentioned in both Chaandogya and Brihaadaaranyaka upanishad, which are two of the oldest Upanishads. He lived few centuries before Gautama Buddha and was one of the most well known Vedic teacher and guru. It is believed that he lived around 7th Centuary BCE.

According to Ben-Ami Scharfstein, a professor emeritus of Philosophy at Tel Aviv University, Uddalaka Aruni was one of the first philosophers in recorded history. Debiprasad Chattopadhyay, the famous marxist philosopher established him as the first “Natural Scientist” in the intellectual history of the world. 

He was the first ever sage to find out that the world, including human beings, is fundamentally made up of three elements, food, water and heat, in fact today we’ll learn about it in much detail. 

Uddalaka Aaruni was a descendant of Gautama lineage from Kuru-Panchala region. He was pupil of his father Sage Aruna and Patanchala Kaapya. He defeated Prāaciīnayogya Śauceya and likely Bhadrasena Ājātaśatrava in debate. Friends, please dont get confused with Ajatashatru here, Bhadrasena Ajaatasatrava was a brahmin priest at the time of Uddalaka Aruni and Yaagnavalkya, much earlier than the king Ajaatashatru. You may remember that in my earlier episode in which I talked about the debate between Yaagnavalkya and Gargi Vachaknavi, I briefly spoke about Uddalaka Aaruni and how he was defeated by Yaagnavalkya in King Janaka’s symposium. Ironically sage Uddalaka Aaruni was the teacher or guru of Yaagnavalkya. Sometimes in many scriptures he was called Vajashravas. 

Now let me bring some controversy before I being today’s story! As per the various Puranas and scriptures it is not very clear that Vajasravas was Uddalaka Aaruni as there may be some differences between the names Auddalaki Aaruni and Uddalaki Aaruni. As per Max Muller, the renowned indologist at Oxford, claims them to be different person! However, as per him,… Adi Shankaracharya considered them to be same Aaruni in his bhasya or commentries on Upanishads. If we believe in Adi Shankaracharya’s commentary then, Sage Uddalaka Aaruni is Sage Vajasravas and he had 3 children named Nachiketa, Shwetaketu and Sujata. We all know Nachiketa’s story from Katha Upanishad. If not, please do listen to my retelling of the famous story in this podcast series. If we believe in Max Muller’s theory, then Uddalaka Aaruni was a different sage from the same lineage of Sage Vajasravas who was father of Nachiketa. 

Another controversy, it is also believed that Shwetaketu was not a biological child of Sage Uddalaka Aaruni. It is believed that the Sage practiced Niyoga, in which a woman has a man other than her husband father a child with her, either because her husband is unable to father a child or because he’s dead. This story is kind of touched in Adi Parva of Mahabharata during a conversation between Kunti and Pandu before the divine births of their children through Niyoga with Lord Dharma, Vaayu, Indra, and the Ashvinikumars. 

There are many confusion in such off-shoot stories in various scriptures as we also know that Uddalaka Aaruni’s daughter was Sujata, who was married to Sage Kahoda and the famous deformed sage Ashtavaakra was the son of Sujata and Kahoda. 

Let me now talk about a bit about Shwetaketu, son of Sage Uddalaka Aaruni and he is known for many things. He was the one who abolished polyandry, the practice of a wife having multiple husbands, as described in the Aadi Parva of the Mahabharata. (A husband having multiple wives, on the other hand, is a well-established practice). And he was the uncle of the famous sage Ashtavaakra, the purported author of the Ashtavaakra Gita. And he is said to have written a text which formed the basis of a certain work of Vatsayaana. Shwetaketu has been referenced across several Upanishads, He is referenced in Brihaadaaranya Upanishad, Chaandogya Upanishd and also in Kausitaki Upanishad.

So, my dear friends let’s concentrate on today’s story. Today’s episode is an ode to the great sage Uddalaka and his Mahavakya “Tat Tvam Asi”. 

Sage Uddalaka had a son name Shwetaketu. Until the age of 12 he was like a normal child, spending his time playing with his friends, playing pranks on others and was having a gala time of his life. The great sage thought that it was time when Shwetaketu must be initiated into Brahminhood and must be sent to a gurukul for learning and understanding Vedic scriptures. 

One day, the sage called upon young Shwetaketu and told -

“Soumya, there has never being one in our family who is a Brahmin by birth. All of our ancestors were well versed in Vedic scriptures and I think so you should be!”

Shwetaketu like an obedient son, agreed and went away to a gurukul of Sandeepan Muni. He spent 12 long years learning Vedas and other Vedic scriptures which was an achievement in itself. It was a popular belief then, that one can learn all four vedas and other Vedic scriptures in 48 years however, Shwetaketu was able to learn them in just 12 years. He had grown into a handsome man with somewhat arrogant with his supreme achievement, self-assured and bit of swagger. He considered himself to be the master of vedas. 

When he returned home from the his tutelage, he touched the feet of his mother and father. The Sage now asked his son - “Soumya, what will you do next?” 

Shwetaketu grinned and said -“Next…I want to win the symposiums and debates in King Janaka of Videha’s courtroom.”

As soon as he said that, the Sage understood that his son was sinking into the quicksand of amour propre. 

So he wanted to bring him back into the paths of humility and non-arrogance. He was aware that Brahmagyaana and pride were highly incompatible. A person stricken with egoism and pride cannot realise the Self or Brahman! So the sage decided to teach his son. 

He asked him -“Soumya, I believe you are now familiar with that wisdom, by which you can hear the unheard, think the unthought and know the unknown?”

On hearing such a question from his dad, Shwetaketu was taken aback. It seemed that his knowledge of scriptures was superficial and couldn’t grasp the import of his father’s question. He wondered how it was possible that the unknown, unheard, and unthinkable could come within the reach of thought and mind! 

Puzzled and shaken, he asked his father - “O my revered father, I thought I had learnt and discovered a lot in the past 12 years. But…I am afraid that I am not familiar with the wisdom you are asking? Perhaps my acharyas and gurus in the gurukul never taught me this! I believe it will be best if you tell me about that!”

Saying that Shwetaketu sat at his father’s feet with folded hands and looked at him eagerly. 

Uddalaka was happy to see his son, so eager to learn. He understood that his hunger for knowledge is still there and not crushed under the weight of his arrogance. 

Uddalaka said - “I will tell you my son! Follow me please.”

Then the sage took his son outside his house into the lush green fields and sat down at a spot where a lump of clay was lying. 

He smiled and said to his son -“It is like this, son, if you know well the essence of something , you will. “Know” everything that carries that essence. Even if it takes on hundreds of forms and shapes or may bear thousands of different names.”

Then he picked up a lump of clay in his hands and said -“ Soumya, for instance, by knowing the lump of clay, its texture, its feel, how it moves on a wheel of the potter or how it forms shapes with your hand, you can create thousands of articles from it. You may not know all of their names or even know them but in essence, what you must always know that it is always made of clay! It is clay. So clay is the cause where as articles made from clay such as a clay pot is the effect.”

Uddalaka paused a while, Shwetaketu nodded and looked still bit confused. 

Uddalaka continued -

“Okay, let me give you another example. By knowing just one trinket made of copper, one knows and understands everything else made of copper. Everything else has different names, just a name, have different forms, which is just a form, but in reality the truth is it is copper. 

Similarly Saumya, if you observe any object made of iron, one understands everything else made of iron. It may have different names and forms but in reality it is only iron. 

If you take a lump of gold, and melt it to make beautiful ornaments. Then if we melt it again, they would reduce to their original form that is a lump of gold. Thus gold is the cause where as whatever the goldsmith makes are its effects.

It is like this, Soumya, by understanding the one true reality of the universe, you understand every other thing in the universe. Never mind that it is present in millions of forms and names.”

Shwetaketu sat up straight, looking very inquisitive and eager to understand further. He said - “That makes a lot of sense Bhagwaan. But all those wise men and acharyas never told me or taught me about this one supreme reality, the one universal essence, that is by understanding which everything in the universe may be understood. Please tell me more father. I am eager to know about it!”

Friends just a small break here, doesn’t it feel you warm and fuzzy, that Uddalaka the teacher in this case addresses Shwetaketu as Soumya that means - dear one! In Upanishads, most of the times the teacher address their students as “Soumya” and the student addresses the teacher as “Bhagwaan” - powerful, respected, worshipped and blessed. This indicates the mutual relationship between a student and the teacher.

Now coming back to the story….

Uddalaka stood up, smiled and patted his son and said -“Very well my son, now