The “Yes” Before the Unknown
अथ वायुमब्रुवन् वायवेतद्विजानीहि किमेतद्यक्शमिति तथेति ॥
atha vāyumabruvan vāyavetadvijānīhi kimetadyakśamiti tatheti ||
Then they said to Vayu, “O Vayu, go and know what this mysterious presence is.” And he agreed, “Yes.”
Swamiji, when something in my life exposes that I don’t really know, I feel embarrassed and immediately try to prove myself. How do I shift from that need to prove into real knowing?
Listen. The embarrassment comes because the identity you built is getting a crack. That crack is not failure; it is grace. Spiritual life begins when the energy moves from proving to knowing. When life stands in front of you as a mysterious presence, don’t announce your résumé. Don’t decorate your ignorance. Simply stand and ask, “What is this, as it is?” The moment you stop imposing your old label, consciousness starts destroying the ignorance of the essential nature. That is real knowing.
Bhagavan, in my relationships I label people very quickly. Even when I know I am doing it, the mind still says, “No, this is how they are.” How can I actually live without reducing others to my understanding?
Understand, whatever you are seeing is not as you think. If you are seeing your neighbour, he or she is not as you understand. Even the chair is not as you understand it. The moment you label, you stop knowing. Apply Dharma even to truth: do not impose on Reality the labels that would suffocate your own being if imposed on you. You do not want others to reduce you to their misunderstanding. Then don’t reduce anyone to your old category. Again and again, move from “me, me, me” to “you, you, you.” At least try. You will get a glimpse of truth.
Sometimes I say yes to spiritual instructions with sincerity, but later I see I haven’t really changed. Is my yes fake, or is there something more I need to understand?
The yes is not fake if it is sincere, but understand: agreement is not enlightenment. Saying yes is the seed of discipleship, not the fruit. Don’t stop at yes. Move from yes to knowing, from knowing to illumination, from illumination to Completion. Completion is not a claim. If you are in Completion, incompletion will not remain around you. So when you say yes, don’t make it an arrogant yes or a lazy yes. Let it become movement toward real inquiry.
How do I use my speed and ambition in the right way? I can move fast, but many times I rush, react, and later see there was no discrimination.
Speed alone is not enough. Speed without discrimination only rushes. Speed with discrimination becomes a complete human possibility. Your movement, your confidence, your breath, your thinking — all these capacities should not claim, “I am final.” Let them bow down to knowing. When speed is used by ego, it becomes restlessness. When speed is surrendered to inquiry, it becomes a vehicle for knowledge. So before acting, settle inside. Don’t define the problem first, fear first, failure first. Be clear: beyond Maya Matrix only sits in your heart. From that space, move.
Listen. This verse is a very simple-looking verse, but I tell you, Upanishads never waste even a simple movement. “Then they said to Vayu, ‘O Vayu, go and know what this mysterious presence is.’ And he agreed, ‘Yes.’” In this whole verse, if you look superficially, you may think there is no philosophy, no technique, no yoga, no theology. But I tell you, the Upanishad is doing surgery on the very root of “me, me, me.” The whole movement is from assumed knowing to actual inquiry.
“Atha” — then. Understand, “then” is never empty. “Then” means something has already shaken the confidence. “Then” means the old certainty has already developed a crack. “Then” means the people who were sitting with the feeling, “I did it, I did it,” are now forced to ask, “What is this?” That is the beginning of spiritual life. As long as you are functioning based on the idea “me, me, me,” even if you are celebrating victory, you are only building a prison of identity. At least ten times in your life try “you, you, you.” You will see the glimpse of truth.
Let the previous movement stand in your inner space.
Story
After the devas won a great victory, the whole heaven was in celebration. Agni was shining brighter than usual, Vayu was moving with a royal swing, Indra was sitting with the feeling, ‘See, because of us only this happened!’ At that moment, Brahman appeared before them as a mysterious Yaksha — a radiant, unknown presence. The devas looked at each other. Nobody could understand who he was. So they sent Agni first. Agni went with all his flames dancing. The Yaksha simply asked, ‘Who are you?’ Agni declared, ‘I am Agni, Jataveda. I know everything that is born. I can burn anything on earth.’ The Yaksha quietly placed a tiny blade of grass before him and said, ‘Burn this.’ Agni roared. He gathered all his heat, all his fire, all his cosmic confidence. But that little blade of grass did not even become warm. Agni tried again and again. Nothing happened. Finally, the great Fire-god returned to the devas, unable to say anything except, ‘I could not know who that being was.’
Understand the lesson. When the identity you created is not the truth, your bondage has already started. You may make the whole world believe it, but one small test is enough to show whether you are established in truth or only in self-projection.
Now the devas turn to Vayu. “Vayav etad vijanihi” — O Vayu, know this. I want you to understand this word “know.” They are not saying, “Go and defeat.” They are not saying, “Go and prove.” They are not saying, “Go and announce your résumé.” They are saying, “Know.” That itself is a shift. Spirituality begins when your energy is redirected from proving to knowing. Most people do not want to know. They want to be accepted as already knowing. They want the certificate without the cognition.
I tell you, whatever you are seeing is not as you think. If you are seeing Me, I am not as you understand. If you are seeing your neighbour, he or she is not as you understand. If you are seeing even the chair, it does not exist as you understand it. The Upanishad is placing that truth in the form of a mysterious presence. “Kim etad yaksham?” — what is this Yaksha, this unknown presence? The devas are not able to fit it into their old understanding. That inability is not failure; it is grace. When your old understanding fails before the real, the possibility for jnana starts.
Vayu means movement, speed, force. But I tell you, speed alone is not enough. Bheema is embodiment of just speed, no discrimination. Arjuna is embodiment of speed with discrimination. Speed with discrimination becomes a complete human possibility. Speed without discrimination only rushes. In this verse, Vayu is being sent. The Upanishad is showing: even the power of movement, even the power that pervades, even the force that can move, must be asked to know. Power is not equal to knowledge. Movement is not equal to completion.
“Tatheti” — he said, “Yes.” This “yes” is important. But understand, agreement is not enlightenment. Saying “yes” is only the first step. Many people tell Me, “I am always in Completion, in the space of Completion.” If you are in the space of Completion, no one will have incompletion with you. Be very clear. If people have incompletion with you, you are not in Completion. In the same way, just because Vayu says “yes,” the knowing has not yet happened. The “yes” is willingness. The test is still ahead. The inquiry is still ahead.
Joke
Agni said, ‘I can burn everything!’ Brahman gave one blade of grass. That day, fire discovered: when ego is high, even a grass becomes fireproof!
That humor is not ordinary humor; it is Upanishadic diagnosis. Ego may shout cosmic claims, but Reality does not need to shout back. Reality only stands and exposes.
See, when you create an identity which you are not, it is like prison. You will continuously make decisions based on that. Just because people around you believe it, you start believing your own projection. That is the big soup, the big mess. The devas had to move from identity to inquiry. This verse is that movement. “Go and know” means: drop the self-advertisement, drop the old certificate, drop the assumptions, and stand before the unknown.
I tell you, the fellow who does not know the problem is also not complete; the fellow who thinks about the problem first is also not complete. Neither ignorance of the problem will solve the issue, nor putting the problem first will solve the issue. Proper right solution is: first be very clear, the Matrix has no place in you. Beyond Maya Matrix only sits in your heart. When the mysterious presence appears, if you approach it from the Matrix of your old pride, you will miss it. If you approach it as a problem to be handled, you will miss it. It has to be known from a deeper space.
This is why I say, tuning to the truth is important. When your body is not doing anything and you are feeling you are doing something, it is restlessness. When your mind is wavering, it is continuous restlessness. If your body is not doing anything, mind is not doing anything, it is settled. The command “vijanihi” is not asking Vayu to become restless. It is asking Vayu to know. Knowledge is not agitation. Knowledge is the destruction of ignorance of the essential nature by consciousness. Then sacred knowledge illumines like the sun.
“Kim etad yaksham?” — what is this mysterious presence? Understand this question. It is not curiosity for entertainment. It is not gossip. It is not philosophical time pass. It is the existential shock: “What is this?” The Upanishad is not allowing the devas to remain in celebration, pride, and assumption. It brings them to inquiry. That is compassion. Sometimes compassion does not come as comforting words. Sometimes compassion comes as a situation where your power does not work, your label does not work, your pride does not work, and you are forced to ask, “What is this?”
Whenever the “I did it” rises, the lesson comes immediately.
Joke
Whenever you say, ‘I did it, I did it,’ Brahman does not need to send a thunderbolt. One small blade of grass is enough for your whole résumé to resign!
Understand, Brahman does not need violence. Truth does not need aggression. The whole false structure collapses by one precise exposure.
I tell you, do not do unto others that which would cause you pain if done to you. This is the essence of Dharma. Apply even this to truth. Do not impose on Reality the labels that would suffocate your own being if imposed on you. You do not want others to reduce you to their misunderstanding. Then do not reduce the mysterious presence to your old categories. “Vijanihi” means know it as it is, not as your ego wants it to be.
This verse also shows the humility of collective inquiry. “They said to Vayu.” When one mode of approach does not know, another is sent. But I tell you, repetition can be two things: boring repetition or intelligent insistence. It is not non-preparation of Guru reason for repetition; it is non-preparation of disciple reason for repetition. The Upanishad is not repeating the same pattern because it has no content. It is insisting intelligently. The devas must learn at multiple levels that no individual power can claim the Source as its own achievement.
There is a beautiful subtlety. They do not say, “Vayu, you are great, surely you can conquer.” They say, “Know.” That is all. Real spiritual instruction is precise. It does not pamper your ego. It does not abuse you either. It directs you. Go. Know. That is the command. If you are sincere, that is enough. If you are not sincere, even thousands of words become flowery words.
I have said, Krishna is a rebel, a new consciousness, like a river. He will not allow dead tradition to bury living truth. In the same way, this Upanishadic verse does not allow the devas to hide behind the celebration of victory. Living truth appears as unknown. Now each power has to face that unknown. You cannot use religion as a shield for non-doing. Non-doers pick up words from anywhere and give a decent burial to their non-doing. Here Vayu does not give a lecture and sit. He says, “Yes.” That willingness to move toward knowing is essential.
Let another mirror of pride and melting stand here.
Story
In Vrindavana, every year the people prepared offerings for Indra, the lord of the clouds. Little Krishna watched all the bustle and asked Nanda, ‘Appa, for whom is all this?’ Nanda explained, ‘For Indra, so that he will give rain.’ Krishna smiled and said, ‘We are cowherds. Our life is with Govardhana Hill, the cows, the forests, and our own work. Let us worship Govardhana.’ The whole village listened to Krishna and celebrated Govardhana instead. Indra became furious. ‘These cowherds have forgotten who gives them rain!’ he thundered, and he sent terrible storm-clouds over Vrindavana. Rain lashed, winds screamed, cows trembled, children cried. Krishna simply walked to Govardhana Hill, lifted it with the little finger of his left hand, and held it like an umbrella. For seven days, the whole village stayed safely under that hill, looking at Krishna’s smiling face. Indra’s pride melted. He came down, bowed to Krishna, and the celestial cow Surabhi performed abhisheka to Krishna, honoring him as Govinda.
The lesson is direct. When pride claims ownership over the cosmic function, the real center reveals itself. Then bowing becomes the only intelligence.
Now bring this verse into your life. How many times you are told by life, “Go and know what this is”? A relationship appears — you already label. A pain appears — you already label. A success appears — you already label. A person appears — you already label. I tell you, whatever you are seeing is not as you think. The moment you label, you stop knowing. The devas are at least asking now. That is why this verse is sacred. It captures the moment when pride is not yet fully dissolved, but inquiry has begun.
“Vayu” also reminds Me of the discipline of breath and movement. In the yogic instructions, air is moved through the nostrils; the throat is contracted; chin is placed on the chest; practices are done attentively. The body, breath, and attention are brought under method. But understand, even method is not the final knowing. Technique prepares; ego can still enter technique. Austerity with pride and egoism, driven by lust, attachment, and force, becomes harmful. Even spiritual practice done with “me, me, me” becomes another prison. The Upanishad is cutting that root.
So, when the devas say, “O Vayu, know this,” it is also a warning to all capacities in you. Your fire, your air, your speech, your thinking, your speed, your confidence — all of them must bow down to knowing. None of them should claim, “I am the final.” If your speed is used by ego, it is just speed. If your speed is surrendered to inquiry, it becomes a vehicle for knowledge.
I want you to see the compassion in the verse. The mysterious presence does not disappear immediately. The devas are given chance after chance. One power goes, then another is sent. This is how higher truth educates the ego. It does not always destroy you in one blow. It allows your own assumptions to come forward, stand, and discover their limitation. That discovery is not humiliation; it is purification.
In life, when something does not work, do not immediately fall into depression. Maybe the old identity is being exposed. Maybe the “I can burn everything,” “I can move everything,” “I know everything,” is being cleaned. If you are carrying the beyond-Matrix presence in your heart, even dangers become good. But first, define that in your heart. Do not define the problem first. Do not define your fear first. Do not define your failure first. First be clear: beyond Maya Matrix only sits in your heart. From that space, approach and know.
“Tatheti” — yes. I tell you, this “yes” is the seed of discipleship. Not the arrogant yes: “Of course, I will handle it.” Not the lazy yes: “I will say yes and do nothing.” It is the simple yes to the instruction. When truth calls, say yes and move. When life says, “Know this,” do not postpone. Do not decorate your ignorance. Do not gather people to support your non-knowing. Go and know.
But never mistake movement for realization. Vayu’s agreement is not the end of the verse’s teaching; it is the beginning of the next exposure. The Upanishad is preparing you. You are watching the ego being educated step by step. First, the obvious confidence is shaken. Then speed is sent. Then even speed has to stand before the unknown. This is the inner yajna: every faculty in you is offered into the fire of inquiry until only truth remains.
I tell you, one who knows the true nature of existence and activity becomes liberated from bondage. If you understand the true nature, you will not be bound by the birth-death cycle. The verse is moving exactly toward that: knowing the true nature, not the outer appearance. “Kim etad yaksham?” is the doorway to tattvatah — knowing as it is. Not as pride sees. Not as fear sees. Not as tradition repeats without life. Not as your identity projects. As it is.
When ignorance of the essential nature is destroyed by consciousness, knowledge shines like the sun. That sun is not borrowed confidence. It is not collective applause. It is not victory celebration. It is inner illumination. The devas are being moved from outer victory to inner illumination. That is the Upanishadic revolution.
Understand this deeply: the mysterious presence is not against the devas. It is against their wrong cognition. Reality is not your enemy. Reality is only enemy to your delusion. When your delusion feels attacked, you call it suffering. When your being feels awakened, you call it grace. Same event. Different cognition.
This verse is also a lesson in leadership. When you do not know, send the capacity that can know — but do not assume even that capacity will know without surrender. Real leadership is not covering ignorance with noise. Real leadership is asking the right faculty to inquire. “Vayu, know this.” That is all. No drama. No exaggeration. No promise of victory. Just instruction toward knowledge.
And Vayu says, “Tatha” — yes. Let that yes enter you. Let it become your response to every Upanishadic challenge. When your ego is exposed — yes. When your assumptions fail — yes. When the mysterious stands before you — yes. When you are asked to know instead of prove — yes. This “yes” is the beginning of freedom from the impossible personality. The impossible personality is the one stuck in doubt about itself, stuck in its own limitation, stuck in “I cannot.” Here Vayu does not say, “I cannot.” He says, “Yes.” But the Upanishad will still teach him the difference between readiness and realization.
So do not stop at yes. Move from yes to knowing. Move from knowing to illumination. Move from illumination to Completion. Completion is not a claim. Completion is a space where incompletion does not remain around you. Knowledge is not a word. Knowledge is the sun that destroys ignorance of the essential nature.
This is Verse 20: a small doorway, a huge transformation. The devas ask. Vayu agrees. Between these two, the entire spiritual journey is hidden — from pride to inquiry, from movement to discrimination, from label to mystery, from “me, me, me” to the possibility of truth. Listen. Let every power in you be told today: “Go and know what this mysterious presence is.” And let every power in you answer: “Yes.”