Summary:

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 4: There are two types of knowledge to be gained: aparā-vidyā (lower knowledge) and parā-vidyā (higher knowledge). Aparā-vidyā refers to all knowledge acquired through perception and inference, such as sciences and scriptures, which are always partial, subject to negation, and incapable of solving the problem of fulfillment. It teaches critical thinking and emotional maturity but ultimately leads to avidyā, as it fails to reveal the truth of the self.  Parā-vidyā, on the other hand, reveals the non-negatable, uncontradictable, and fulfilling reality of Brahman, the one truth by knowing which everything is known. It’s not additive like aparā, but subtractive, removing ignorance to reveal the ever-present truth. Though it may seem dry at first, it leads directly to mokṣa and reveals the implied meaning behind all experience and language.

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 5: Aparā-vidyā includes the four Vedas and the six Vedāṅgas – phonetics (śikṣā), ritual code (kalpa), grammar (vyākaraṇa), etymology (nirukta), metrics (chandas), and astrology (jyotiṣa) – which serve sacrificial life and provide worldly results. It is preparatory, building intellectual and emotional readiness. Parā-vidyā is that by which the imperishable Brahman is known. It is not about the words of the Upaniṣads themselves, but the cognitive transformation they trigger. Even mastery of scriptures becomes aparā-vidyā if not rightly understood, as shown in the case of Nārada. One must not discard aparā but use it as a stepping stone. The pursuit of aparā is endless; only parā ends the search, as knowing itself is the fruit.

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 6: Brahman is described through negation to avoid objectification – it is adreśyam (invisible), agrāhyam (ungraspable), agotram (unborn), avarṇam (attributeless). Brahman is not an object but the subject – not something to be perceived or grasped, but that in whose presence all perception and experience happens. It is the consciousness behind all names and forms, the gold behind the ornaments. 

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 4: Two Types of Knowledge

तस्मै सः ह उवाच द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये इति ह स्म
यत् ब्रह्मविदः वदन्ति परा च एव अपरा च (१.१.४)
tasmai saḥ ha uvāca dve vidye veditavye iti ha sma
yat brahmavidaḥ vadanti parā ca eva aparā ca (1.1.4)

Aṅgiras said to Śaunaka, ‘those who know Veda say that there are indeed two types of knowledge to be gained, which are known as parā and aparā.

Before Angiras explains how knowing one thing, everything else can be known – he says there’s two types of knowledges…

Apara-vidya: (Lower knowledge)

• Makes you fit: Makes you fit to receive higher knowledge. EG: “Language is necessary” – without it “one cannot understand what ornament is, gold is”. And it teaches you to think critically, what is logical/illogical. Builds emotional maturity.
• Gained via perception/inference: Knowledges you get through senses (perception) and inference. Knowledge of “I” can’t be gained through perception, else it would become an object.
• Only gained in parts: By knowing physics, you only know physics, not biology. Thus can’t fulfil criteria, “Knowing one thing, all becomes known”. Even if know physics, you don’t know what is yet to be discovered. Apara-vidya always gives partial knowledge.
• No fulfillment: More you know, more you don’t know. Can’t solve fulfillment.
• Negatable: What you know can be negated, subject to revision, such as Classic to Modern Physics.
• Avidya: Eventually called avidya (non-knowledge or ignorance), because when you know one part, don’t know other parts.

Para-vidya: (Higher knowledge)

• Answers Shaunaka’s Q: Satisfies criteria of “Knowing one thing, all becomes known” because of satya-mithya relationship as briefly introduced in previous session. By knowing Brahman (existence-awareness), you know everything, because Brahman is not a part, but the material cause of every effect.
• Non-negatable: Not subject to revision. Can’t negate.
• Uncontradictable: Can’t be contradicted by logic. At the same time, can’t reach it through logic. Meaning, can’t use logics and work your way up to nature of “I”. Only down; meaning you need to start out with something that reveals nature of “I”, then see how logic & experience can’t contradict it.
• Fulfilling: Solves fundamental problem of “fulfillment”.
• Potentially dry: It can seem dry because you’re used to apara-vidya which is colored, exciting, sensational.
• Implied meaning: Gives implied or deeper meaning of words, whereas apara-vidya gives dictionary or literal meaning of words.
• Leads to moksha.

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 5: Definitions of Lower & Higher Knowledge

तत्र अपरा ऋग् वेदः यजुर् वेदः साम वेदः अथर्व वेदः
शिक्षा कल्पः व्याकरणम् निरुक्तम् छन्दः ज्योतिषम् इति
अथ परा यया तत् अक्षरम् अधिगम्यते (१.१.५)
tatra aparā ṛg vedaḥ yajur vedaḥ sāma vedaḥ atharva vedaḥ
śikṣā kalpaḥ vyākaraṇam niruktam chandaḥ jyotiṣam iti
atha parā yayā tat akṣaram adhigamyate (1.1.5)

Among the two, the aparā vidyā is Ṛgveda, Yajurveda, Sāmaveda, Atharvaveda, phonetics, know-how of rituals, grammar, etymology of Vedic words, science of meters and astrology. And the parā vidyā is one by which that akṣaraṁ brahma is known.

Apara-Vidya: (Lower knowledge)

Karma-kanda portion of Vedas which gives knowledge of rituals and world for sake of gaining limited results.

Contains Six Vedāṅgas (limbs of the Vedas):

1. Śikṣā: Phonetics – the science of pronunciation of letters (varṇas). Explains proper articulation of vowels, consonants, accents (udātta, anudātta, svarita), and vowel length (hrasva, dīrgha, pluta).
2. Kalpa: Ritual procedures – which mantras to use for what rituals, providing structure for religious life, developing sacrifice and discipline.
3. Vyākaraṇa: Grammar – understanding word formation, roots, suffixes, gender, tense, case-endings, enhancing cognitive abilities.
4. Nirukta: Etymology – dictionary of Vedic words showing their derivation from grammatical roots.
5. Chandas: Metrics – study of poetic metres like gāyatrī, anuṣṭup, triṣṭ
6. Jyotiṣa: Astronomy/astrology – Hindu calendar, lunar cycles, cosmic movements, connecting human life to celestial patterns.

This revelation surprised Shaunaka, who had lived entire life following karma-kanda.

Para-vidya: (Higher knowledge)

• Definition: “Yayā tad akṣaram adhigamyate” – That by which the imperishable Brahman is gained.
• Transformative: Not the words of the Upaniṣads, but the cognitive understanding arising from those words. Leads to effortless, permanent realization “I am free”.
• As Śaṅkara clarifies: Even when one knows all the words of the Upaniṣads, without proper understanding it remains aparā-vidyā. EG: Nārada who knew all the disciplines of knowledge including the words of all the Upaniṣads, but he did not know what it was all about, so he was in sorrow.
• Don’t discard apara-vidya: Mistake is to say, “Only para-vidya gives knowledge of all, thus I don’t need apara-vidya such as grammar”.

The Teaching Method:

Dreams have no end, only waking up ends it. Similarly, Aparā-vidyā has no end; it only ends with Parā-vidyā.

Comparison:

• Aparā-vidyā: “Know, then do, then wait, and finally get the fruits”.
• Parā-vidyā: “Knowing is itself the fruit. Nothing else is needed”
• Aparā-vidyā is additive (facts added to intellect).
• Parā-vidyā is subtractive (ignorance removed to reveal knowledge)

CH 1, SECTION 1, VERSE 6: Nature of Higher Knowledge

यत् तत् अद्रेश्यम् अग्राह्यम् अगोत्रम् अवर्णम्
अचक्षुः-श्रोत्रम् तत् अपाणिपादम्
नित्यम् विभुम् सर्वगतम् सुसूक्ष्मम्
तत् अव्ययम् यत् भूतयोनिम् परिपश्यन्ति धीराः (१.१.६)
yat tat adreśyam agrāhyam agotram avarṇam
acakṣuḥ-śrotram tat apāṇipādam
nityam vibhum sarvagatam susūkṣmam
tat avyayam yat bhūtayonim paripaśyanti dhīrāḥ (1.1.6)

Brahman is that which is not the object of sense perception or organs of action, which is unborn, which does not have any attributes, which does not have eyes or ears nor hands or legs, which is eternal, which becomes many (manifold creation), which is all-pervasive, the most subtle, that which is free from decline and disappearance, which is the cause of all beings and which the qualified people see very clearly.

Goal of Verse:

• Need to find goal-ornament equivalent for the universe.
• Gold Equivalent: Consciousness / Awareness.
• Ornament Equivalent: Time-space-objects. Laws, mind, forms, apara-vidya. Intuition (Two types: [1] connects present data to past, used for speed processing, 50% right [2] Pure mind, siddhi, eg: clairvoyance). All must collapse into Consciousness.

Understanding the Reality By Defining What It's NOT:

Brahman (the cause of the universe) is first defined by pointing out what it is NOT, so you don’t take Brahman as another object or a subtle experience…

1. Brahman is NOT visible, but Adreśyam (Invisible): Teacher starts by pointing out limitation of gold-ornament example. “I’ll show you that one thing, but don’t expect to see it like gold example used in prior lesson. It’s unseen because it is the cause, thus precedes the effects”. Brahman is not an object of sensory perception. Meaning it cannot be known as an object, because it is the subject. Just like eye can’t see itself, but in it’s presence, objects are seen.
2. Brahman is NOT graspable, but Agrāhyam (Ungraspable): Not available for organs of action to grasp. Meaning, it’s not located in a place, as only things in a location can be grasped and played with. Awareness is not an object that you can handle (in your mind such as an image/idol/experience). 
3. Brahman is NOT born, but Agotram (Unborn): It is not born within time-space as it precedes time-space.
4. Brahman doesn’t have attributes, thus is Avarṇam (Attributeless): Free from varṇa (color/description). Brahman has no colour. It is not red, black, green or blue. No size, no form. If it had attributes – it would be one more object in the world. For instance, if cause had attribute of “blue” or “benevolent”, then everything would have “blue-ness” or “benevolent-ness” in it all the time, since everything originates from Awareness. Thus Awareness has to be free of blue, to manifest as blue.
5. Acakṣuḥ-śrotram, apāṇi-pādam (No Eyes, Ears, Hands, Legs): Awareness is formless (don’t imagine “formless”). That’s why we never say “The Lord knows what is best for you”, as it implies the Cause is an entity with a mind, eyes, etc. Brahmā/Īśvara is possibilities which are collapsed based on your choices, which gives feedback as seen/unseen results. Each possibility collapsed reminds you, “this isn’t it”.

In the next lesson, we'll see what Awareness is; we'll see positive descriptions of it…

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Recorded 8 July, 2025