Maitreyi-brahmana - Science of Happiness

The Maitreyi-brahmana is a section of the Brihadaranyaka-upanishad and is a dialogue between Sage Yajnavalkya and his wife Maitreyi on the highest wisdom of Vedanta.

The section begins with Sage Yajnavalkya seeking concurrence from Maitreyi to take to renunciation after distributing his wealth to his 2 wives. Maitreyi asks a pertinent question as to whether wealth can bestow her Immortality (amritatva), seeking which alone Yajnavalkya is renouncing. Yajnavalkya replies that one can never attain Immortality through wealth.

This forms the seed for the rest of the section, and Yajnavalkya explains that all desirable objects as wealth are desired because of the love one has for the Self. He thereby expounds the profound nature of the psychology of happiness. This Self, which is verily of the nature of Immortality, has to be heard, reflected, meditated and thus realised.

Sage Yajnavalkya further explains through a series of examples that everything is nothing but the Self, and everything has come from the Self, remains in It and is ultimately dissolved back into the Self.

Division is duality and is the cause of sorrow, and by knowledge one must end the apparent sense of individuality in the Self, just as a lump of salt loses its separateness when dissolved in water. There is no duality whatsoever for everything is the Self. When one has become the Self, there is no individualised Consciousness. This is the goal that must be sought and gained. This alone is the ultimate goal of life, the summum bonum.

A total of 8 video sessions by Swami Advayananda, divided into 5 lessons, are made available to the registered students.

What You will Learn

• The science of happiness and what is real Happiness
• The means to know the Self
• The nature of the Self as the substratum of the whole world, and how in spite of differences the Self permeates all
• The goal and the nature of dissolution of the individuality

Why should I do this Course?

Happiness is the goal that is desired by one and all, either directly or indirectly.

All of us seek completeness and happiness, but somehow it has remained so far elusive. This section of the Upanishad explains the nature of true Happiness, and the means to attain it.

Requirements

• Keen interest in Vedanta and the purpose of life
• Good internet connection

Course Details and Duration

• The course comprises 8 lessons covering 8 audio/video sessions and 8 objective type questionnaires.
• The recommended duration for completion of the Maitreyi-brahmana(Science of Happiness) course is 2 months. The suggested maximum duration is 3 months.

Course Access, Query Resolution Process, Grading and Certification

• Students can access the course following the User Guideline document that is also sent to registered students to their email address.
• Students have to attempt the lessons sequentially. For each lesson the student should watch the audio or video file and then attempt the questionnaire.
• All questionnaires are objective based and on completion of each Lesson/ questionnaire the marks and grade for that lesson will be displayed to the student on the dashboard.
• Students can download the answer key on completion of a questionnaire.
• In case of queries or doubts on the subject matter students are encouraged to use the discussion forum. Details of the same will be sent to students on registration. A detailed query resolution process guideline will also be provided.
• The Course is deemed complete on completion of all lessons /questionnaires, and a final grade will be awarded.
• Grading system for certification.
• 80% and above ‘O’ Grade
• 60% and above ‘A+’ Grade
• 50% and above ‘A’ Grade
• Below 50% ‘B’ Grade

• Those who successfully complete the course will be given a ‘Course Completion Certificate’ of merit signed by Pujya Swami Swaroopananda, Head of Chinmaya Mission worldwide. The digital copy of the same will be sent to your registered email ID.

How do I purchase the Text?

We suggest either of the below editions of the text that are available for purchase online:

• Brihadaranyaka-upanishad with the commentary by Swami Sivananda from Divine Life Society
• Brihadaranyaka-upanishad, published by Ramakrishna Mission, containing original text with word-by-word meaning running translation notes and introduction, translated by Swami Jagadiswarananda

Course Content

The course on Maitreyi-brahmana comprises 5 lessons covering the following topics:

• Lesson 1: Introduction
• Lesson 2: Dialogue between Sage Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi
• Lesson 3: The Science of Happiness
• Lesson 4: Discard the Differences and See the One Self

Click here for a detailed Course Content

Course Contributors

Sri Anant Sarma
Arvind Kannan
Sumedha Kulkarni

Home Study Course Scholarship Initiative

Envisioned to be a platform to impart knowledge, CIF has always made it a point to make the courses accessible to all the sincere seekers. Students, who are keen to pursue a particular course, but have difficulty affording the course fee, can send an email to the homestudycourses@chinfo.org stating the same. They will be given financial assistance to enrol for the course based on the genuineness of request, keenness to study and eligibility.

One can also be a part of this noble venture by contributing to the Home Study Course Scholarship Fund. To know more, send an email to homestudycourses@chinfo.org.

For Queries

Mob: +91 9207711140
E-mail: svadhyaya@chinfo.org