Aadi Sankaracharya’s

MANEESHA PANCHAKAM

Commentary By: Swami Ishwarananda,Chinmaya Mission, Tustin.

Venue: CHINMAYA MISSION, SAN DIEGOConducted On: Feb 10-16, 2008

(transcription of MP3 Audio)This is the transcript of a series of commentary lectures, on ‘Maneesha Panchakam’ given by Swami Ishwarananda at the Chinmaya Mission Center in San Diego.

SESSION #1

Swamiji:

OU…MOU…M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks – Prologue Verses(1,2)

Maneesha Panchakam is a text which is attributed to Bhagavan Shankaracharya which is also considered as the compendium or the beautiful summarization of the *four

Mahavakyas or the Upanishads. Shankaracharya is a person or was a person who took every opportunity in his life wherever there was an occasion to teach his disciples about the highest truth and he promptly did, indicating a particular situation as a reminder of the reality.

A Teacher is one who does not uh, let go an opportunity to teach his student how to live the highest truth. It is one thing to theoretically know what the absolute nature of oneself is. But it is yet another – and most difficult – to practice that in daily interactions with the world. As you may recall, in Bhaja Govindam also, it was a simple situation where an old man, ripe aged he was teaching the rules of Sanskrit to young children.

It is a simple situation, but then Shankaracharya took that as the opportunity to tell the world through his students that at the ripe age all this material knowledge cannot help one to overcome the fear of death. na hi na hi raksati dukrn karane : nothing of this worldly nature will ever release you from the fear of death or death itself. At that time only he had sung, bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mudhamate. samprapte sannihite kale : at the time of death nothing else can help you.

This (text) Maneesha Panchakam also is said to be a, uh, outcome of a situation. It is said that when Shankaracharya was visiting Kashi kshetra, the abode of Vishwanatha, which is one of the moksha, uh, moksha-nagari, it is said. Huh? There are five places in India which are considered as providing moksha. Staying there or leaving the body there are considered to be auspicious.

One of them is Kashi. Others are Ayodhya, Dwaraka, Haridwar, Ujjain – these are also considered as moksha-nagari. So, the moksha, nobody can really give you – Liberation, nobody can give you. Uh? Can anybody say that ‘ok, I will give you moksha’? Even if somebody says so, it is only a temporary relief from present problems.

Real liberation comes only when we realize that we are already liberated. But that is the way of Vedanta – that you already a free individual, immortal being but not knowing that is the agjnaanam. And unless agjnaanam is gone, one can really cannot be free.

So this Kashi-kshetra is considered as a moksha nagari; because Kashi – yesterday also I have said that, ‘kashyati iti kashi’ : that which shines. That which shines everywhere is called aakasha. Uh? ‘aa’ means samanta, kashyati : that which shines everywhere is aakasha. prakaasha you know, prakarshyena kashyati : very particularly shines, (that is) prakaasha.

So here, ‘Kashi’ representing the highest abode of knowledge – in the past also and today’s world also considers that as the, one of the ancient cities of the world, which had the great masters coming there, learning and spreading the knowledge. So now, the Kashi-kshetra he visited to have the darshan of Kashi Vishwanatha.

And it is a tradition that people take the holy dip at Ganges, in the Ganges and then come towards the temple and have the darshan of the Lord. It is often believed that when you take the holy dip in Ganges you are physically very pure and also mentally pure – physically purity by taking a dip in the physical water. And the mental purity is taking the same bath with shradda, with faith. If faith is lacking, physical body may be clean but mind will not become pure.

So he had taken a simple bath there, simple ‘dip’ I would say. Because in this country, ‘bath’ means it’s lying on the tub. So, (laughs) not really ‘dipping’, taking a dip. So he went and had holy dip along with his disciples and he was coming back. And the roads in Kashi-kshetra is very, very narrow. So he was coming in that road and (that was a) very small lane.

Suddenly there appeared in front of him, a person who belonged to a lower caste. In those days, imagine, some twelve hundred or odd days back – from today – the society was still very conservative as it was in any part of the world. People who do not have learning and living a low level of living, standard of living are considered as not included in the main society.

No doubt that was a curse of that society but Bhagavan Shankaracharya with an intention to prove that that kind of a discrimination cannot, is not applicable to a realized master. For it is said in Bhagavad Gita also, that in fifth (text ‘fifth’ here, replaced from ‘sixth’) chapter of Gita we will see, vidya vinaya sampanne | brahmanae gavih astinni | shuni chaiva swapa kecha | panditaha samadarshinah (ch 5, vs 18) : the men of wisdom are men of equal vision.

panditaha samadarshinah : in their perception, a well-learned, humble brahmana, a dog, a horse or a elephant or a dog-eater, all these people apparently they have discriminative qualities influenced by a sattva, rajas and tamas. But in the person’s, enlightened person’s view they are all the same, for he sees the one in all and all in one.

So that being so, they don’t discriminate. But in general people identified with their caste, position and status of the society, they looked down upon others. Perhaps, Bhagavan Shankaracharya wanting to demonstrate, that what happens to an enlightened soul, when he loses that attention of oneness and identifies with his body, if he starts discriminating, what would be the result.

Because it is said, in the Vedanta, many other places also, that pramado vai mrityuhu : a simple error also is great fall for a jnaani. jnaani no nitya vairina : Bhagavan Krishna also says a jnaani is one who is constantly aware of the nature of mind, which is ever fickle and at the same time ever it is identifying with the body.

So therefore, in that context, Shankaracharya apparently was, you know, wanting to teach, he suddenly identified with his body because as per the tradition that the low caste person who is referred as chandaala, uh, was asked to go away – “move away from

my path. I am heading towards a temple and I do not want to touch you or see you. Move away, move away” – in that way he was telling.

So then, at that very moment, that low caste individual, who was looking at Shankaracharya and in front of him, he said to him and what he said is what is considered first verse in this. This is not part of the first composition but it is an introduction or preliminary to this. So as we read here, verse number uh, the page number three:

(chants first verse – the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeats chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeats chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi(group repeats chant)

kimprohi gacha gacheti(group repeats chant)

Hey, dvijavara! dvija means twice born. dvi-jaayate – jaayate means born, dui means twice. dvija means therefore, one meaning of dvija is four teeth. Because our teeth also, is it not that first it is there when one’s child is born and afterwards it goes, I mean, it disappears and again is born – so first is a milky teeth and afterwards the real teeth. And actually it is three times actually – that is not born out of oneself, the third time it is borrowed (laughter)

Another meaning is bird. A bird is also dvija. Because once it is born as a egg, as an egg it is born out of the mother. And then again it breaks the egg and comes out. So a bird is also called dvija. But here, it is not a bird or a teeth. Here he is referring to a brahmana, who has two births – one from the womb of the mother and another it is when he is initiated into the gayatri mantra and becoming ready to learn scriptures under the tutelage of a teacher.

So that time he is born again as a brahmana. As Gurudev writes in you know, the next page, you know, below see the lower on the bottom, note, line – janmana jayate shudraha | karmana jayate dvijaha | vedat gnaye bhavet vibraha | brahmag jnadi brahmanaha : everyone of us is born as a shudra only. No, at that time we are ignorant you know, and do not have any culture or samskaraa.

We are all born ignorant. Not having any kind of qualities or values, education, knowledge, understanding. Then karmana, meaning proper conduct or doing rituals – samskaraas – a person becomes dvijaha. And then when he learns properly, veda adhyayi – then he becomes vibraha, a person of learning. Then, further after having learnt, pursuing what one have understood, brahma jnanadi bramanaha.

So who is a brahmana – he is not just born as a Brahmin, because our Gurudev used to say, ‘the threaded variety’(laughs). ‘Threaded variety’ means, those who are wearing thread cannot become a brahmana. Because he used to say, the ‘threaded variety’ who doesn’t have knowledge are the threat to the world only. Because they consider themselves as learned where they do not know anything and they rule over others or they consider themselves higher than others.

So if a person has knowledge and then he has an authority is one thing. One who does not have anything, no knowledge at all and ‘he’ becomes you know, a ruler, it becomes very difficult for people to live under his rulership. That is why it is said, politicians have to be changed as often as diapers for the same reason (laughs) – so, they get dirty very fast.

So he is calling uh, Shankaracharya as ‘hey dvijavara’. ‘Oh the best among the learned people’, here in this context, ‘you are a brahmana who has learnt’, kim dhoori kartvam vaanchasi : what is that you would like to push it away? dhoori kartvam vaanchasi – desires.

What do you desire to push it away? For which you say, gacha gacha iti. broohi gacha gacha iti : you say go away, go away. What has to go from what? annamaya dannamayam : your body is made of the elements, five elements – uh, space, air, fire, water, earth. Anything else that makes your body?

annam, which is nothing but five elements in combination. My body is also made of the same thing. What difference did you see? I also eat the food and you also eat the food. I also, my body is also made of the same element which your body is also. Is there any difference at all? When we die we go to the same earth, is it not? You go to the special earth or what? It is the same place.

So, all of us are nothing but the modification of food. ati iti annam : food is nothing but that which is eaten. So all that is there in this world, as material world, matter world is nothing but food. That is why in the, realized master, when he chants what does he say? ahammannam ahammannam ahammannam | ahamannaado ahamannaado ahamannadaha | ahagagahlo gagurdahaslo gagurdahaslo gagurd… we learn it because we realize you know, we have to chant it.

annam – food only we are. What you eat makes your body. And this body is a food for somebody else. You die, the physical body is eaten away by the rest of the, you know, various other germs and other things. Even now, there are enough germs – millions of them are eating your body, actually – sitting there in your body they are all surviving. You are also a visharupam only, for them (laughs).

They are all inside, they are enjoying your presence. So this physical body is also food for some other creatures. That’s what we are. So what difference did you see between you and me? Ok, if you say other than the matter, what is there, what is there?

Other than the matter is spirit, consciousness – chaitanyam. In that chaitanyam or consciousness is there any difference between you and me?

The consciousness living in a animal is the same consciousness in a bird, the same consciousness in the plant, and the same consciousness in you and me, no difference at all, what else you have learnt? isha vaasya vidagam sarvam mrikindya jagatyanam jagat : that same Lord, who is referred as God in religion is the same consciousness, reality, Brahman, in all as per the philosophy, is same in all.

And what difference did you see – your consciousness and me? Therefore seeing what you saw the difference and seeing what difference you say, I have to move away from you? It is not that I am blocking your way and therefore you said gacha gacha. I know, you are saying so because you are identified with your body, and mind is a neecha and that way you have said, ‘no, go away, go away’.

It is said that once Bernard Shaw was walking in a small village. And he had one great critic who always was traveling, always with him to make sure that he you know, criticizes him everywhere. So he was walking in a narrow bridge, one single person only can walk. It is a small bridge, crossing a river.

So other person came on the other side and started walking, coming to him. So both of them looked at each other. So, Bernard Shaw simply said, ‘please give me way’ – meaning, only one person can go, you can go back, and then I go and then you go – ‘please give me way’. So that person very strongly replied, ‘I don’t give way for fools’.So Bernard Shaw said, ‘I do’. (laughter)

So here that person is not just retaliating because he was asked to move away because there is no way there. Because he identified with himself as a Brahmana and considered him as a neecha, a chandaala, so therefore he says, ‘what difference did you see?’ annamaya dannamayam thavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat | dvijavara doorikatvam vaanchasi kimprohi gacha gacheti.

So therefore here, Shankaracharya takes that as an occasion. And now he was totally shocked. What did I say now? And his disciples were there behind. They did not expect such a reply from so called unlettered person. I mean, they merely looked at him, considered that he is unlearned, a low born, no education, illiterate, uncultured. But when they heard these words from that person, they were utterly shocked.

To further, uh, you know shock them, that same chandaala, he makes a very beautiful statement, a set of – one verse – with full of very lofty ideas. And that is verse number two.

(begins chanting of verse number two – the prologue)kim gangaam muni bimbidembaramanao(group repeats chant)

chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kanchanagati(group repeats chant)

-mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga (group repeats chant)

sahajaanandaa vabodaam bhudau(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shapachoyamityavi(group repeats chant)

mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

(repeats chanting of verse number two, group chanting along)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payahapoorae chaantara masti kanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja aanandaa vabodaam bhudauvibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||

saha ayam vivedaha : what this difference did you see? kaha ayam bramaha : what delusion you have come into? What delusion, what difference did you see? It is said differences are because of delusion. Delusion which is known as, otherwise known as mohaa or brama. Uh? braanti : when you eat, when you take brandy what happens is braanti.

You don’t see a thing as it is. You see something which is aren’t there or something totally different. So it is said that one person went to a doctor and he said, ‘doctor, anywhere and everywhere I see two, two things’. ‘I see two moons, two suns, everything looks two’. And the doctor said, ‘nurse, why do you brought two people here?’, ‘at the same time?’(laughs) Even the doctor is having the same problem (laughs).

brahma, brahmanam is mind having a delusory view. So delusion is where you do not see a thing as it is. You see it as your mind projects it or the mind wants to see that way. Most of us are in the same situation only. We, yathaartam pashyati : as it is you doesn’t see. Most of us have the influence of our own gunas and therefore we do not see what things as they are and thereby we get deluded, moha.

He says, ka ayam mohaha or bramaha, ka ayam vivedaha , and why I am concerned (is) because vibraha – tvam. You are a learned person. A learned person is supposed to have one vision. Our Gurudev today’s comment also, you can see that piece – two eyes are there, but vision is only one. Is it not, that is the (…truth), no? (inaudible member response) Oh, ok this is a different one, in my room that is a different (one).

So two eyes, but one vision. Two ears – you do, do you hear two different things? So when we have two eyes we have only one vision. Imagine the condition where one eye is seeing another – it will be total confusion there?

So if, if you have a real learning you will see only one. A learned, uncultured one, his mind is so distracted and disturbed because he doesn’t see the one, he sees the many. And seeing the many is the cause of so much of problem in our life. That is why it is said in Upanishad also, ethasmin udaramantharam kurude athathasyam bayam bavati : when one sees the difference, one suffers the fear.

When I have, I say, ‘I am afraid of another person or afraid of one another thing’, it is because I have started seeing the difference. (When) I say, ‘I hate another person’, that is when you started distancing yourself from the other person. When that person or the object is dear to you, which is actually near to you. Not necessarily physically, but in your mind you stopped seeing differences.

When you stopped seeing differences, the object comes closer and closer to you. That is why it is said, a one who has seen the reality – oneness – to him all are dear, to everybody he is so dear; because he no more sees the difference. Even the animals and plants will come near to him – will find comfort and solace in his presence.

However here (he) says, vibraha : you are a man of learning, and yet you are seeing the difference? And because of your learning, which you are supposed to have no difference, you say vibraha ayam shvabachaha ayam iti : I am a learned and here is an unlearned neecha purusha chandaala iti | api pa ayam mahaan om : great one, ayam vivedha praha : why this difference you see, what have you learnt?

What your Vedanta says? There is only one. One Reality, One Supreme Self. But in the relative world, it appears to be so many different things. Uh? One Self, One Paramatma, One Consciousness but it appears to be so many varieties – that is the play of prakriti or the maya. And transcending this maya which creates this so many differences is the very purpose of practice of Vedanta.

He gives a example, there are two examples he gives. One is called Reflection theory, which is where the sun or the moon which is there in the sky. ambaramana it’s called. amba is space. So, the one which is the ramana – ambaramani, you know it is called, ambaramani. ambara is the space in that mani, the jewel of the space is the sun. And the sun, when it reflects in a water, it is a reflection of that sun, itself. Uh?

Irrespective of what water it reflects, that nature of the sun doesn’t change. But according to the quality of water, so will be the reflection. So one who looks at the dirty water, he sees a dirty reflection. When a pure water of Ganges, he will see the pure reflection. (sings) kim ganga ambuni bimbi dem baramanao | chandaala vaati payaha | cha antara masti va.

antaram : difference, astiva : is there. Is there any difference really speaking in the reflection of the, in the sun itself or in the reflection itself, between ganga ambuni : in the water of Ganges, chandaala vaati payaha : in the ditch water of the place where the chandaalas live. You know, people who do not keep the place clean. You know, the place (where) it’s only a drained water, drainage water.

Both are water alright – one is dirty, another is clean. But as far as the reflection of sun is concerned, it is a same. But the quality of water makes it appear, in your eyes, one is dirty, muddy, another one is clean and pure. But really speaking, as far as the sun is concerned, does it stop reflecting in a drained water, drainage water? (does it reflect) Only in the Ganges water? No.

kim gangaam muni bimbidemba – bimbi da, the reflection. bimbi de, ambaramanao | cha-ndaala vaati payaha cha-antara masti va : that is what he is asking. The reflection theory, it’s called. As Gurudev also writes, there are two different theories. One is called Conditioning theory, another is Reflection theory. One may probably say, yes, there is a difference between the reflection in a Ganges water – and during those times, Ganges water, not now-a-days.

Now-a-days Ganges water is also equally this (dirty) only (laughs). But the beauty of Ganges water, if you have known, if you know, if you take Ganges water, even if it is muddy or you know, colored, keep it for a while, it will become so… clean within no time. That’s a very peculiar nature of this Ganges water. It will become crystal clear within no time – that is a particular combination of chemical which makes the Ganges always remain pure, even if you dirty it.

And therefore, in the Ganges water, the reflection may be clean, in a ditch water it may be impure. But as far as the sun is concerned it doesn’t discriminate between good or bad water. So also the consciousness, the self in us, irrespective of the kind of the mind or the body in which it reflects, its nature doesn’t change. Hm? Nature of consciousness remaining the same as sat-chit-ananda : pure existence, consciousness and bliss. It doesn’t change. We may probably experience it differently because of the qualities or the instrument through which we are seeing.

Just like if I wear a green glass and look at outside, everything looks green. But nothing has changed. Only my eyes, looking through the instrument which is colored, makes it appear as colored. In the same way, consciousness remaining in its own pure nature, appears to have all the qualities because the instrument through which I am seeing, is having these qualities.

So our mind goes through the qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas. Our body again having the nature of all the five elements, therefore the consciousness which is present inside us, or inside meaning, within us which we experience as though is affected by the qualities which are there in body, mind, intellect.

As you see in Atma Bodha also – the spatikam, the crystal has no color. Yet, when it is placed on a blue cloth, it appears to be blue. In a red cloth, it appears to be red. On its own, it has no color. That is why Bhagavan Shiva is worshipped in the crystal form. The crystal representing colorless, qualitiless, absolute presence. But when it is placed, it appears to have great, different colors.

Consciousness on its own nature, is pure existence. When we say pure existence, it means, it is independent of all of other things. It doesn’t get affected by that. So he says, this understanding you have, as, as one who has learnt Vedanta, no, how did you see a difference in consciousness between you and me? Saying that get away, get away from me.

Another theory is called conditioning theory, where the reflection probably may appear different from one another, because of our perception. But the conditioning theory is a little more advanced way of thinking, where he says, mritkum payoho kaanchana gati : in a mud pot or in a golden pot, the space that is inside is the same.

kanchanagati-mritvumbayor vaamvareh amabarae | cha-antara masti va : is there any difference between the golden pot, kanchana gati? The space that is conditioned in a golden pot or in a mud pot, is there any real difference? Uh? Some people ask me, ‘Swamiji, would you like to eat in a silver plate’? I said, I am not interested in what plate I am eating. What food I am eating, I am interested (laughs) Any difference will be there?

Space does not change because it is there in a golden pot, or in a mud pot. Whether it is in a small place or in a bigger place, the space doesn’t change. But we are very funny people. We keep on changing the arrangement of the furniture at home, thinking that something else will give more space. (laughs) Within that room, however much you change, space doesn’t change (laughs).

Does it change? Now I got more space. Remove all the furniture you will have more space only. Arrangement of the things do not create space – it may give an illusion of availability. Huh? In the same way, the space remaining the same, it doesn’t matter in which particular uh, what you call environment it is or the condition it is. Because space always remains unconditioned only.

Because the moment you break the wall, space is space, ever present space. So, the space not affected by the condition in which it is, so also the consciousness in whichever condition it is, is the same. Whether it is in the foolish person’s uh, bosom or it is in the bosom of a enlightened individual, the space, just like the space, the consciousness is the same.

The difference between a fool and enlightened person is, one knows and one doesn’t know. agnasya vignasya vishwamasti. For a man of enlightenment, for a man of ignorance, the world is the same. It doesn’t change. But that person’s way of looking at things will change. Bhagavan Krishna also, so much he taught to Arjuna, did he change anything in the situation?

He did not change anything in the situation. But he did change something. That is the way Arjuna would look at situations. That is what he changed. You are looking at a situation from a very narrow perception. Whereas, I look at it in a same situation in a totally different view. My purpose of being in the war is to eliminate the evil, bring back the truth. Your purpose of the war is to take revenge. That is the difference.

Because you wanted to take a revenge, it looks like this is a very bleak situation. ‘I have to kill my own people’ – but in My perception it is the evil ruling over the good and for the good to survive, evil has to be removed. That is how I look at it. So when he talks He wants us to change or transform our way of thinking.

So consciousness remaining the same, irrespective of in which body it is, in which mind it is, what difference did you see? So two examples he gave – the reflection theory and the theory of conditioning. In the theory of reflection he says, just like the sunlight reflects in a Ganges water or a ditch water. Reflection or the original nature of the sun doesn’t change.

Reflection depends upon the quality of water in which it reflects. So also in the case of consciousness, it remaining the same, your experience of that consciousness differs because of the quality of the mind in which you are seeing. The space is the same, whether it is in a mud pot or a golden pot, doesn’t change.

In the same way, consciousness is the same, whether your mind is a polluted mind or a pure mind. A pure mind recognizes the consciousness much easily than in a polluted mind. A polluted mind has so many disturbances in itself. That is why, our Gurudev used to say, both the quality and quantity of your thoughts should change. Just like if there is a river and the river is going in such a very high speed, flowing, and it is also muddy, the reflection would be so unclear – situation number one.

Situation number two – clean water, still movement is there. There also the reflection will not be clear because of the movement. Situation number three – a still water, but full of mud, there also the reflection would not be clear. The fourth situation is, still water and clean, that is where you can see your own reflection properly, right?

In a moving water which is muddy, you cannot see the reflection. Clean water still moving, you cannot see. Still water which is muddy, you cannot see. The ideal situation is, it is still and clean. Right? So quality as well as the movement, both have to be taken care. In the same way, in our own mind, the reflection of consciousness is there, but mind has two imperfections.

One is the quality of thoughts. When the quality thoughts are wrong or negative, impure, and also because of that quality of thoughts which are being impure or also otherwise, the mind is constantly moving, agitated, uncontrollably running. In this case, in this situation, your mind will not become a correct media to reflect the consciousness.

Or you will not be able to experience the true nature, blissful nature of consciousness. So two things you have to take care is, change the quality and reduce the quantity. The changing the quality or making it pure is by dedicating your actions to the Lord – Karma Yoga. That is what is taught by Krishna there.

Karma yoga is ishawararpidam karma : I offer everything to the Lord. So when I am offering to the Lord, it has to change, to become pure. My actions cannot be vulgar, cannot be selfish, narrow, egocentric – I have to offer it to the Lord, just like when you offer the food to the Lord, you prepare on that day and offer it with great devotion.

As we saw – patram, pushpam, phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachati . So offering things with great devotion to the Lord, through which you can change the quality of your thoughts. This is through karma or bhakti. When it comes to jnanam, the same thing can be applied to change the quality, but then the quality of thoughts can be changed by knowing one is not the thoughts. That is the analytical part of it.

In the case of karma or bhakti it is more of offering, whereas in the case jnanam, it is knowing, this thought is not me. The mind is not me. The mind is only an instrument I am working with. The thoughts have no reality. And that way, negative or positive, thoughts have no impact upon me. I am a witness here, whatever thoughts are coming here. So therefore, the mind naturally removes the selfishness.

The second one is reducing the quantity. When actions are dedicated to God, thoughts are dedicated to the Lord, naturally the object of your surrender being one, there will not be any variety of thoughts. The focus is only one, and therefore when one maintains that ability to create, one object as the object of dedication, the number of thoughts will naturally get reduced.

In the path of jnanam, when one understands one is not the thoughts, then one looks or focuses upon what is my true nature then. As Ramana Maharishi would say, any thought that comes, ask the question, ‘to whom is this thought?’ Uh? So when (asking) ‘whom is this thought’, ‘whom, to whom this thought belongs to’. The natural answer is, ‘we’. Then, ‘who am I?’ That ‘who am I’ question doesn’t have an answer.

Any answer to that ‘who am I’ is wrong. So therefore, don’t – ‘who am I’, satchitananda swaroopam. Don’t, then immediately you would stop that very process. This process of asking that question is only to reduce that thought to the bare minimum and transcending it. So when you ask the question ‘to whom’, the answer is ‘I’, then who am I, that you have to discover.

In that path, the thoughts will naturally get reduced. So whether it is offering to the Lord with devotion or asking the very origin or a purpose of a thought, thereby you reduce the quantity. So when the quality and quantity are taken care, obviously the mind becomes still and pure. Just like the water which is still and pure, becomes a pure reflection of that light, similarly when the mind has become still and clean, it becomes the very media through which the consciousness will express completely.

So he says, hey dvijavara, what kind of difference you have seen? Is there any change in the reflection of the light, whether it is in Ganges or in a ditch water? Is there any change or difference in the space between a mud pot and a golden pot? Therefore, pratyagvastuni : in everything, in every object, nistaranga : changeless, like a waveless ocean. taranga : is wave. nistaranga : the waveless, the changeless. sahaja : natural, spontaneous, effortless. ananda : blissful. avabodha : conscious. ambhudau : in that ocean, which is waveless, meaning no movement – nistaranga.

sahaja : natural, effortless. Effortlessly ananda, sahajananda it is said. So effortlessly blissful, joyful. avabodha : the naturally conscious. So sahaja goes into everything. sahajananada and sahaja avabodha : the naturally conscious, ambudhau : in the ocean of waveless, natural, blissfull consciousness – what difference did you see as vibraha ayam shvabachaha ayam iti?

koyam vivedam pramaha : what kind of a delusion you got? This, when he listened, Shankaracharya was totally shocked. He realized that first of all, what a grave mistake I have committed. Identifying with my body, I have told him ‘move away’. And as I said that, for an enlightened person, identification with body is the greatest fall. That is why in the ‘Upanishad’ it is said, shurasya dhara nichidaaduradyayaa : that path is like a razor’s edge.

durgam padasthatat kabayo vadanti, durgam padaha : it is a very difficult path. iti kavayo vadanti – kavayo vandanti means, men of right knowledge, they say, this path is like a razor’s edge. Why it is like razor’s edge – a little fall will injure you most. See as even when you are climbing a ladder, from the first step when you fall down, uh? From the first step you fall down, so what will be, how much hurt you will be? Then you will be named as tadhaani.

But from the thirteenth step when you fall, injury is more, then you may become cripple-aani. You may become cripple also. As you go up in the ladder, the danger of getting hurt by falling is more. When a small child makes a mistake, you may forgive –(saying) ‘innocent’ nature. But if it is a sixty-five year old person makes a same mistake, how can you forgive that person? You are supposed to know. Uh?

So as you are becoming more and more mature, the errors that you commit becomes less and less, should become less and less. If a small child cries, ‘uh, I want a Cd, I want a Cd’ (imitates child crying), uh, what – put on that. If sixty-five year also does the same, so something seriously wrong there. He doesn’t have any maturity.

So as one proceeds in his life, intelligent life, his possibility of committing error should come down. But unfortunately our education is not in that direction. Our education is only merely data gathering. It is not giving maturity to us. How much of violence that we see in this world? How can there be you can call them as educated people? So called educated people or the people who are committing all the mistakes.

Recently I was in India. And in the city, so much of dirt, so much of you know, filth everywhere – plastic and… The moment you come out of the city and go to the side of the villages and amazingly you will see, any part of the country, I should say – village side when you go, people are more agile, not patting you know. And they are always engaged in work, healthy and clean. The whole place is so clean.

As we go towards the village, I mean from this, as I can see, one plastic cup appears and second plastic appears, and then one more collection and then you will see only nothing but, nothing but garbage everywhere. So what did education do to us? Really speaking. Means, we are becoming more and more impure – inconsiderate, intolerant, narrow, selfish, self-centered, never care about anything else, impatient, aggressive, competitive, killing each other. This is what I have seen, you see around.

Whereas in, you go village, nobody even locks the door. Any body will come. Hospitality, love, togetherness, tolerance, helping – this is what we see. And that is slowly receding away. So, see in the case of, in the name of education we are becoming more and more arrogant. So Bhagavan Shankaracharya, he realized that how he has identified with his body and has insulted a person saying, ‘get away, go away’. He was utterly, you know, disappointed with himself.

So therefore, immediately he prostrates and falls at the feet of this chandaala –‘what a mistake I have committed?’ To utter shock of all his disciple because he is falling down on the, at the feet of a person who is not even worth of even looking a second time. That was the teaching, really speaking, Shankaracharya gives to his disciples. Fell down – ‘please forgive me. What a grave mistake I have committed’. Because that fellow not only was himself but he had some four dogs also with him.

Not only he is the eater of dog, imagine a person who eats the dog. You know the story that is there even in Mahabharata it is said, Vivekananada-ji quotes in his complete works also in the first volume itself. He says, there was a, a person who is an ascetic – tapaschan – he was sitting and then he was meditating, very highly you know, concentrating his mind on one thing, and sitting there.

For many, many days he has been sitting there. Many, maybe months. Maybe years. One day, he woke up and looked around and one crow was sitting on the tree and crying ‘caw, caw, caw’, and he got really irritated. This should get burnt. And lo and behold, that crow got burnt and fell down. This ascetic was so shocked. My God, I have got this power now – but just I thought of burning that crow it fell down, burnt.

On the one hand he was so elated with great joy that he got the siddhi. Siddhi – this accomplishment of power – by just thought of it, it gets burnt? On the other hand, in a little portion of his heart, he was so afraid of it also. Because you know, our mind if it is impure, and if it thinks of something and it suddenly happens, very dangerous also. I wish there is no earthquake now-a-days (laughs).

How it will be when it is earthquake here? Suddenly if it starts, then? Because your own mind, if you are not able to control, the siddhis will become very dangerous to you. Uh? So that’s why even when you were children, when they learnt driving, the car will become a dangerous weapon in their hand. (laughs). You should not where they will – what will they do?

So he got up from his seat, after a long time, he has not eaten food for many days. He went to the nearest village. And he stood in front of one house. bhavathi bikshaandehi : please give me food. So one lady’s voice came out of the house – ‘wait, I am busy, I will come.’ So he waited for a while. Because it is said in the tradition that such ascetics can go only to five houses. And in those five houses what he gets is the food for the day. He cannot go more than that.

He can choose what are the houses he can go. But he cannot go only five houses. He didn’t want to lose a chance there. Anyway she said she is coming. (So he) waited. So, he, I mean many minutes passed this lady did not appear. So he felt kind of insulted – ‘I am not a beggar, I am an ascetic and she has not come?’ “bhavathi bikshaandehi”, again he said.

(In response the lady said) ‘wait I said, I am busy’. He was waiting there. Kind of becoming restless. In his mind he was thinking, ‘you know, my siddhi is that I can get food anywhere I want but anyway, you know, I am supposed to be doing this.’ Waited for some more time, he became very impatient. Again he shouted, ‘bhavathi bikshaandehi’ (saying in a louder voice). ‘Uh, and I am a ascetic sitting here’.

(saying reply of the lady) ‘Wait, you cannot burn like a crow’. Ha! (baffle of the ascetic) He was shocked. How did this lady know that I burnt a crow. Just now it happened and it is no possibility that she would have seen in the nearest Doordarshan or whatever TV. Impossible! He was totally tensed – how did you know that I burnt a crow?

And he was shocked and standing there. She came – gave him food. He didn’t take it. ‘Leave it aside. How did you know (laughs) that I burnt a crow now?’ She looked at him and said, ‘to know that you need to see another person who is in the next village, he is a butcher. Go.’ And she went away. (says what the ascetic thinks) Uh, another shock –to know how she knew, that what happened right now, I have to go to a butcher? This is something much more strange.

He didn’t even take that. He ran, to the next village. And it is very easy to find, there was only one butcher shop. So, he went there. As soon as he looked at him, ‘that lady sent you is it?’ (laughs) So, what kind of communication is going on here?

How do you know?Don’t worry. She would have told you about that burning the crow, is it not? Yes.I will tell you, sit down there.And he was busy doing his work, and meeting the customers, etc.

Few hours passed, this fellow was restlessly he was standing there, sitting there, waiting for this fellow to pay attention. So the late after the work is over, he said come with me. He didn’t say a word, just (said) come with me. So this fellow followed. He went home, to his home. It is a very small hut. Where he went, he said, sit down here –I have to take care of my parents.

So went inside, and then he was doing some work and taking care of washing the feet of his parents, and then he was feeding them and all those things. Came back after sometime. So this fellow was still waiting hungry. But he was not even aware of his hunger. He want to know how these people knew. So finally he asked, please tell me, how is that you and that lady knew about what happened in the forest.

So that man said – you know, you have meditated and did tapas for so many years or so many days in the forest. What were you doing at that time? One-pointedly keeping your mind in that what you were thinking, is it not? Nothing else crossed your mind. That gave you the power or a siddhi with which you have even burnt that crow, poor thing, innocent one. Is it not?

Yes. To one-pointedly focus on a thing and do that work, you don’t need to go to the forest. That lady was doing seva to her husband and I was doing my dharma of taking care of my work and serving my parents. Where ever you are, when you dedicatedly do an action, one-pointedly doing that alone, nothing else would cross your mind, what burning the crow, etc, any siddhi you can achieve.

So therefore, do not underestimate a householder as one who is incapable of such tapas. Anyone, in any situation can become excellent provided the mind is focused on one thing. This is what she wanted you to learn from me. Huh? That fellow became so humble (laughs). He understood, that mere one’s own arrogance that I am a tapasvin and therefore others are all useless – this kind of a misunderstanding you should overcome.

Our own one of our swamijis used to say, to be a householder is great tapas than being a sanyasin really speaking. Because as a sanyasin you may not have any, too many things and responsibilities to take care. But as a householder so many ups and downs you have to face, cheerfully, not complaining because you cannot avoid that. And do all the things and yet, keeping your mind in spiritual practices is the most difficult thing, than all the available conveniences and the environment conducive to you to keep your mind in spiritual knowledge – which is the most difficult and yet you pursue it.

So here, in the, Shankaracharya was totally shocked, when he learnt that such an uncultured neecha, chandaalan has the highest wisdom and me, who is supposed to have this knowledge all the time abiding it, who is totally lost that, due to my earlier, purva you know, abhyaas which I have identified with my own mind, so, as brahmana – what a low level I have come into? Thinking that he prostrated to the chandaala who was there.

And to the surprise of everyone, the chandaala, from there, (in) their vision he disappeared. Shankaracharya immediately recognized that it is Kashi Vishwanatha Himself who has appeared in front of him only to show that even a learned person can make mistakes but the greatest, uh, what you call, blessing is, that a man of learning knows that he had made a mistake and he overcomes this.

Whereas we take it for granted – ok, who doesn’t make a mistake, so what? Arrogantly (laughs) we do not change. A man of wisdom immediately recognizes his fall or mistakes and he overcomes this. So Shankaracharya got up and looking at the Lord, Kashi Vishwanatha, he composed five verses, which are basically known as Maneesha Panchakam.

And he speaks about who really is my teacher – irrespective of what caste and

color and culture a person belongs to, he who has the right knowledge, he is my Teacher and this is my firm conviction. This ‘conviction’ is what is referred as Maneesha. manasaha eesha : the conviction of my mind. And in five verses he speaks about what are his convictions about who is the right teacher. And therefore it is referred as Maneesha Panchakam. panchakam means five.

So the following five verses are about that. And in these five verses as the very scholarly and very highly uh, intellectual Shankaracharya, gives us the glimpse of the four mahavaakyaas. And the finally the result of understanding this four great statements of Upanishads. The end result being paramaanada praapti – the last verse is about paramaananda praapti.

So the first four verses are about the four mahavaakyaas – the great declaration of the Upanishads. So tomorrow we will see those, uh, one of, each one we will see one day. So that we will cover all the five verses.

(sings closing prayer)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om | *4

END of Session #1 of #6

SESSION #2

Swamiji:

OU…M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks – Verse One

We will read the first two verses here:

(chants first verse, the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeat chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeat chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi(group repeat chant)

kimbrohi gacha gacheti ||(group repeat chant)

(chants verse number two, the prologue)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kaanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja aanandaa vabodaam bhudau(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

So in this (three verses/) two verses we saw that the reflection that takes place in the water, whether it is Ganges water or it is the chandaala vaati payaha poorae : in the ditch water of a chandaalan – dirty it is, a reflection may be decided by the quality of that water. But the sun which is getting reflected there is unaffected by what kind of reflection that takes place or where it is taking place. Hm?

And also another example he gave, just like the space which is present both in the mud pot and a golden pot is not affected by the gold-ness of the golden pot or the mud-ness of the mud pot. In the same way, the consciousness, awareness that is there, is uninfluenced by in which body it is present or in which way it is expressed.

As we saw yesterday, the example, just like if I want to see my face – reflection –

if it is a running water with full of dirt, it is difficult to see my reflection. And at the same time if the water that is there, if it is not running but muddy, again it is not clearly seen. Or the water is clean but running, again it is not possible.

So the situation which is ideal for me to see my reflection, is where the water is clean as well as still. So is the case of our mind – continuously running, continuously agitated, restless, except in the state of sleep, all the time it is agitated. That is the nature of the mind.

That being so, I am unable to recognize my own real nature, at any given point of time, the mind is constantly in movement. Thoughts are continuously flowing. Not only that, the quality of thoughts are also not good. So therefore, the prescription that is given to any spiritual aspirant, is that first of all, change the quality of your thought.

The changing the quality of thought itself will reduce the number of thoughts that will arise in your mind. Once that is achieved, as that is said in the sixth chapter also, ‘Bhagavad Gita’ says, through karma yoga one is able to bring about certain amount of a change in the quality and quantity – arurukshor muneh yogam karma karana muchyate : through karma yoga.

Then comes the next stage, yoga aarudasya tasyaiva shamakarana muchyate : quietening the mind is a next stage. So once this quality and quantity are taken care, naturally that awareness which is present, mega apayae amsho vanima : like the clouds you know, when they are gone, the sun shines on its own accord. In the same way one will be able to see.

That is why he says, pratyagvastuni : in all living beings, all beings, nistaranga : waveless, meaning agitationless. sahajaananda : naturally blissful. avabodha : awareful. ambudhau : that ocean – which is there, the ocean of, waveless ocean of continuous bliss, awareful it is, in that vibraha ayam svabachaha ayam iti : here is a learned person, here is a person who is eating dog’s meat is called shvabachaha.

shva means dog. shva pakvam karoti kaadadi cha : he who cooks and eats the meat of a dog, is called shvapachaha. Uh? shvapachaha api ayam iti api mahaan koyam vivedha pramaha : what difference did you see that way? Uh? This is the uh, declaration or the statement given by that chandaala who was standing in front of him.

Shankaracharya was utterly shocked. Then he prostated to him. And as I said, the students who could not believe their eyes and then that person disappeared from there, Bhagavan Shankaracharya realized that it is the Lord Himself appeared, only to teach that in no point of time, you will identify with your body. Identification with the body means, status, uh, position, one’s own authority, origin of both, one’s own samskaras and looking down upon all others based upon that.

And therefore, here Shankaracharya indirectly indicates, this kind of a habitual identification with the body is the cause for a downfall. And in the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ also it

is given, that is downfall is dhyayatho vishyaan pompsaha : one’s things about objects, because objects are thought of because one looks at everything from the physical standpoint – I want this, I want to enjoy this, I want to experience this, then that mind, that very person becomes so uh, identified with gross things – he falls down.

So here, as an outcome of this situation Bhagavan Shankaracharya has given to us, five verses. In these five verses he is uh, giving us an insight into the four ‘Mahavaakyaas’. Now you see, as Gurudev writes in his commentary, you know, there are four ‘Mahavaakyaas’ coming from four vedas – rig, yajus, sama and atharva veda.

Uh, there are four vedas which are distinctly explaining the nature of the Higher Self and giving us different dimensions of thinking. For an object if you take, uh, it has from the top you can see, from the bottom you can see, from right side you can see, from the left side you can see. Uh? They may appear to be different. But really speaking they are talking about one single object only.

If you take a photograph of an object, from the left side it may look different. That is why when you are ready to go for a reception or a party, you have different ways of looking at yourself. Especially if you have a hairdo done – from this side how do I look, this side how do I look, top how do I look (laughs), from behind how do I look.

So you may try to look at yourself, your own beauty in different ways. In the same way, an object can be seen from different angles. They may appear to be different, but they are representing the same thing. In the same way here, four different declarations are given. Now some scholars think that they are not four different declarations, they are four different stages of understanding.

In the Badadarani Upanishad what we see, it is said, that Yagnavalkya tells his wife, Maitreyi – atmava are drishtavyaha shrotavyaha mantavyaha nidityasitavyaha maitreyi aatmana areva … atmanava are …. shrutena… darshanena shrutena madhya vignyanena sarva vidam vihitam bavati. That is his declaration.

O Maitreyi! – he tells his own wife – atma : that Self, has to be first of all seen, seen in the sense, it should be visualized. Because in today’s management world or any other such teaching also, what you want to achieve, first visualize. Only after visualization you can actualize it.

So first of all have a vision, idea of what the thing that what you want to achieve. Even Bhagavan Krishna in the second chapter gives the visual picture of a, the prajna, first. Visual picture means, it’s not the some painting or drawing or anything or photograph – O you want to be realized person, you should be like me.

It’s not a photograph but a description of the characteristics of the individual who is realized gives you an idea about what is that I am seeking here. Uh? Without that visualization, you will be groping in the darkness. So the vision of what you want to

achieve should be clear in your mind. That’s why now-a-days, vision board, they put a vision board. And the vision board, what is that which you finally want to achieve.

Once you have ear-marked what are the things that, or the parameters are put there, then you work towards how to achieve that. Even when we want to build a house, don’t we first put a plan, hm? There should be uh, you know, main hall here, there should be a restroom here, then be kitchen there, and then this thing. So you must have an idea of what basically you want.

And from there you start and then – how big you want? Uh? How convenient and comfortable it should be. Then how much I can afford. (laughs) Slowly, slowly, slowly it comes to that. Where is it available? So in the same way, first visualize the self. atmava are thrishtavyaha : having thus visualized, next step is to find out whether I qualify for that or not.

I may have a fantastic dream of achieving something. That is why it is said, great achievers are dreamers but they wake up. (laughs) We also dream, but we never wake up. We just keep dreaming. So wake up to find out whether you qualify, you deserve it. So to know whether you qualify or not, is the second step which is shravanam : to listen to the possibility of realizing it by yourself and also knowing what are the qualification required and how much you are far away from that qualification. And also what should be done to qualify for that.

satsangatve nissangatvam : uh? as Shankaracharya also says, first have satsanga. Then only you know whether you are qualified or not. If you are not qualified you start working toward that, by which you get rid of unwanted things in your life. Bhagavan Krishna also says, enter into karma yoga. Uh? karma yoga you enter, what happens – immediately after that? jnana karma sanyasi : is it not? jnanat : that jnana that you get, karma sanyasa will take place. Unwanted actions will move away from you.

Then karma sanayasi, then jnana yoga, then comes dhyanam – right? So here also, first he says, shravanam kuryaad : listen to this. When you are wanting to be a professional, for many, many years you have to listen. Don’t you have to? From the very early childhood, say five or six year old, for another fifteen years, what are you doing – day in and day out? Go on listening. Do you think all that you have heard, for fifteen, twenty years will remain in you? It won’t. What will remain in you is what you have thought about.

I often tell my students, you read, but that doesn’t stay with you. You read or listen, what remains with you is what you learn. How do you learn anything? After listening, you should think. Listening may be for one hour. But thinking will be, ten minutes it will be over. After one and half hour class, ‘what have you listened’? ‘You cannot give the whole thing’. ‘In a gist, nutshell.’ That nutshell is what goes into your nut. (laughs). All details will be forgotten.

Many people come to me and say, ‘Swamiji that joke was really good’. ‘That is the only thing you have to say’. (laughs) ‘No, no, it is not like that, I listen to other things’. ‘Tell me.’ ‘Ah, that is very, little difficult’. So some of the things we listen and we capture it. But the main, as Gurudev would say, I may tell many jokes but in between I say something else also, that you should understand. (laughs)

So what you reflect upon, think about, chew about, that will remain. So the second, third one is called, mantavyaha. matanam kuryaad, mananam kuryaad : matanam is you know, churn it. (gives churning audio) Churn it in the sense, find out –what is said, is it useful to me. If it is useful is it practical to me. Is it practicable, is it I, I can apply it and experience it at all. What is my experience? Is my experience contradictory to what he said? Or it is conducive to what I say? Go on churning, like your, you know, you do, from the curd you take the makhan out. Go on churning.

So first one is listening. I mean, first one, I visualizing. Listening. Then mananam. mananam kuryaad : reflect upon that. Then after having reflected upon that, what remains is doubtless knowledge. I have no doubt about this what I have understood. All the unwanted elements of your thinking goes away. That core, the essence remains. That essence which remains is one which you meditate upon.

nidityasi tavyaha : meditate on that – meaning identify with the understanding as yourself. That is why he says, atmava are drishtavyaha shrotavyaha mantavyaha nidityasitavyaha maitreyi aatmana areva … atmanava are …. shrutena… darshanena shrutena madhya vignyanena sarva vidam vihitam bavati – everything will be there. Everything that you experience in this world will be known to be the Atman, the Self. This is the first stage of a path.

And then second one is, one realizes that behind every experience that one has, uh, there is this Presence of Awareness all the time. ayam atma brahma : ayam means, “This”. “This Self is Brahman”. “This Self” means what? Whatever I experience, there is the silent awareness present there. That is what is given in the first verse.

Coming from – as Gurudev writes here – ayam atma brahma, this Consciousness in me, the Self is Brahman. This is coming from which Upanishad they say, uh? ayam atma brahma. As Gururdev writes here, Consciousness in Brahman, that is coming from the ayam atma brahma. See there are four Vedas as I said – rig veda, yajur veda, sama veda, atharva veda.

In those Vedas also, specific Upanishads are known to be those which have declared the Highest Truth. In from Rig Veda it is, Taittiriya Upanishad. Yajur veda, it is Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. From Sama Veda it is, Chandogya Upanishad. From Atharvana Veda it is, the next, Mandukya Upanishad – next page it is there.

So this statement, ayam aatma brahma, ayam aatma brahma coming from Mandukya Upanishad. So in that, Mandukya Upanishad it is – that is from the Atharvana Veda – now you see, the verse is put in such a simple way and the simple way that is put

these, very simple for us to recognize and realize in the daily world. Now, we’ll read that verse number one, page number eight in this book.

(chants verse number one, the Prologue)jaagradswapna su suptishu(group repeats chant)sputathara yaa samviduchrum bate(group repeats chant)

yaa brahma di pipilee kaanta tanu shoo(group repeats chant)prota jagad saakshini |(group repeats chant)

saevaaham na cha drishya vastu(group repeats chant)idi drida(group repeats chant)prajna pi yasyaasthi chet(group repeats chant)

chandaalo stu sadutvi jostu(group repeats chant)gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

Together.

(chants verse number one, group joins chant)jaagradswapna su suptishusputathara yaa samviduchrum bate

yaa brahma di pipilee kaanta tanu shooprota jagad saakshini |

saevaaham na cha drishya vastu ididrida prajna pi yasyaasthi chet

chandaalo stu sadutvi jostugururityesha maneesha mama ||

Most of the verses will end with the last statement. yesha manisha mama : yesha, this, mama maneesha : my conviction. manasaha esha : esha uh? Not esha – sha, esha

means eshwar, Lord. esha – you know the word, ishtam, word you know. ishtam is what is desirable to me. esha is what is that I am convinced about. manasaha esha : my mind’s convinction. Uh? This conviction is not any, you know like, getting convicted; because ‘conviction’ is my firm understanding which I have no doubt. What is my conviction? He who has this kind of knowledge, is my guru. guruhu iti esha maneesha : this is my Teacher, in this way I have conviction.

Who is your Teacher? Let him be a chandaala, the low-born or dvijaha : maybe a brahmana. He who has this knowledge is my guru. Doesn’t matter who he is, what is his background, where which kind of origin of birth he had, whether he had any education at all or not, it doesn’t matter to me. Does he have this knowledge of the Reality? What education Ramana Maharishi had, or what education Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had, what education Nisagadart Maharaj had? What education Jesus Christ had? What education?

The worldly education of going to university, learning from various teachers about the world, world of matter, material things, business and other things, uh? Tapovan-ji Maharaj, what education? Once when our Tapovanji Maharah decided not to go to the school, his father was very unhappy about it. ‘So you are going to stop your schooling?’ ‘Yes. I will stop my schooling but never stop educating myself’; because I don’t think the schools are giving any education. They are only giving information.

Education is your own observation. The way you look at things with correct knowledge. That knowledge can be gained independent of mere academics.

So He (Tapovan-ji Maharaj) was very clear, I want to learn only two things – Samskritam and Vedanta. And he was only into that. So therefore, we think by going to the school we get educated – we are not. We are only being stuffed with lot of information. And many people don’t even know how to process that information. They come as a bundle of information only. You touch them, they will vomit.

Today’s schools also we see, they are stuffed with so much of information. They don’t even know how to process it. They are computers – like they become merely information boxes. Here he says, he is my Teacher who has this clear understanding. Let him be a chandaala, let him be a, a dvija. Let him be a great pandit or great brahmana. He who has this Knowledge is my Guru.

Now you see, what is that knowledge or understanding you should have – clearly knowing one’s own Self, one’s own Awareness as this Absolute, ayam atma brahma. ayam : this. So the teacher, ayam when he says, he is indicating somewhere, ‘this’ is Brahman. ‘This’ Self is Brahman.

Now what is this referred as ‘this’? Whenever you refer something as ‘this’, you are referring to something closer to you. Whenever you are referring to something as ‘that’, you are referring to something away from you. Is it not? ‘This’ table and ‘that’ chair. So you are referring to something closer to you – ‘this’. But the word, it is not used

idam. idam is also this. But what is used is ayam. Even though ayam also is, the meaning of it is ‘this’. But is much closer than idam. Uh? So idam is no doubt ‘this’. But ayam when you say, it is closer than even idam.

So here, ayam atma brahma : ‘this’ Self which I continuously have as the background of my every experience is Brahman. ayam atma brahma. Now what is that and where is that we experience it?

jaagradswapna sushi suptishu : in the state of waking, in the state of dream, in the state of sleep. These three are different stages of our mind. One stage is what is called uh, the state of conscious mind – where we are, most of us are. Conscious mind – conscious mind is that which operates through the consciousness operating through body, senses, mind and intellect, where we are aware of the function of each one of them.

Are you aware of the how the eyes are working now? See? Yes. Nose? Yes. Tongue? Yes. Skin? Yes. All of them, you know? Ears? Yes. Are you aware of your thoughts? What is happening in your mind? Yes. Your feelings? Yes. Your imagination, what you are thinking parallelly, imagining some things? Yes. Are you able to discriminate in your mind about what is right and wrong, good or bad, wanted or unwanted, likes and dislikes – clearly? Yes. You decide based upon the discrimination what you want to do, what you do not want to do, everything? Yes. That is called jaagrad.

jaagaranam is being alert, being aware. uh? jaagradi. So jaagrad avastha is where you are fully aware of all the functions of body, senses, mind, intellect, etc. Not only you are aware of their function, you are able to discriminate clearly the various things – likes and dislike, want and unwant(ed) and all those things.

Not only that, feelings like emotions like love, hatred, jealousy, and compassion, forgiveness, all those various emotions and feelings and ideas and concepts, opinions and all those things are clear – discrimination. Based upon that you are able to decide what you want to do also. Whether you want to do this way or that way? You want to go here or not to go here? Want to take that or not to take that – Decision Making. Based upon decision making, you act on that.

See all these are happening awarefully, alertfully, that is called jaagrad. Uh? Is that clear? That is where the conscious mind is present. Now the next stage, which we all go through either in this waking state itself once in a while or specifically when you lie down in shavaasan (laughs). When you lie down, that means first thing you have done is ‘not act’. What you have decided? Not to act. That means the one the outer most, as I said first one is to become aware of all the faculties, second one discriminating clearly, third one is deciding the action and acting. The action comes after all these things are over.

In the state of dream, first thing you renounce is action – I am not going to act. In that stage your decisions that you take, you don’t take any decision. Why? Because there

is no intention to act. When you don’t take decision, uh, what is the need to discriminate? No discrimination also taking place. Hm? No discrimination taking place.

What is before discrimination? Being aware. Aware of what? What is happening in my eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, in the mind, etc. (and) emotions. So that stage is called is semi-conscious stage. You are not fully conscious. You are only semi-conscious. I know what is happening. But there is no discrimination there. There is no decision there. There is no action there.

So in the state of dream, you are just aware. Of what? Whatever the mind is deciding to, you know whatever mind is imagining. Whatever the, you know close your eyes and ears, nose, tongue, etc., so whatever is already known, already seen, whatever already heard, whatever already tasted, touched, smelled, they are giving certain impressions in your mind about which you do not care to discriminate. Is it right thing?

So you are eating twenty-seventh rosagolla. Oh, my stomach must be paining –nothing happens there (laughs). Because it is only an imagination, fancy of the mindthere is no reality in that. But peculiarly what we see is at that stage, we don’t even know that it is not real. Why? You are not discriminating – is it real or not real. That discrimination is not there; because you are not going to act upon it, anyway.

So a dream is a state, is called swapna. swayam apna (laughs) : on your own, on your own you are going somewhere. swayam apna – swapnam. So that is a semi-conscious state; and the third one is called sushupti. supta means where it is closed; where it is totally withdrawn. In that stage all the things are absent. You are not acting. You are not discriminating, you are not deciding anything. You are not discriminating anything; because you are not even aware of the functions of any one of this – body, senses, mind, intellect functions are not even, even though they are functioning you don’t even know.

Body is alive – breathing, digesting your food; and eyes, nose, ears, tongues, etc. because you not doing, seeing anything, hearing, they are all closed. Mind’s function or intellectual functions whether they are not or they are doing or not, you are not even aware. Nothing you are aware of. Their functions you are not aware of, their existence you are not aware of. Their qualities you are not aware of.

As yesterday evening I said, even though I am not aware of all these things, but that does not mean awareness is disappeared. Just like if I don’t see anything, our eyes have not disappeared but they are not doing anything, that’s all. They are not doing their function.

So awareness is not functioning through eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc, that does not mean it is absent. Sometimes you, you know, you are very tired, so in your office you put a board outside in your cabin – ‘taking rest’. So if somebody, (a) visitor comes to see you, (and) you say, ‘no he is not available’. It is not, (not) available does not mean he has become dead. No (laughs). Presently he is not available for any kind of interview. That is

all it is. That is why so-gaya. He is gone. Where is he gone? ‘Gone’ means not physically gone. (He is) not available for transaction. ‘Parked car’ – (it means) not moving.

So therefore, in the state of sleep, which is referred as unconscious state; not unconscious according to the medical term of becoming you know, coma or anything. Unconscious means not in the state of consciousness or not in the state of aware of one’s functions.

So in these three stages, jaagradswapna su suptishu : that which is always there, samvid, yaa samvid uchrum bate sputathara. sputathara means, sputa means ‘clear’. You know the word, spatika right? That is also ‘clear’, ‘crystal’. sputam is also ‘clear’. sputathara he says you know, is superlative there – the most clear, vivid, evidently.

uchrum bate – uchrumbanam is, is manifesting or throbbing, basically; really it is throbbing. uchrumbanam. uchrumbate, throbbing there the present is, like when you touch your you know, naadi you know (you hear) dahk, dahk, dahk – that is uchrumbanam : throbbing. When put your hand near the heart (you hear) lubtub, lubtub. – that is throbbing, throbbing heart.

So this uchrumbate, in the same way the consciousness that is continuously throbbing, samvid, you know the very word, samvid, samyak veti idi samvid. sam vid – there are two words put together there. sam samyak. vid, vid means to know. It knows its own presence very well. samvid, he who knows one’s own presence very well. samvid. samyak jaanaathi.

Like vid when you add to anything, (it means) ‘he who knows’. brahmavid : he who knows Brahman. aatmavid : he knows aatman. ‘Avid’, in English. He is an ‘avid’ photographer. Is it not? Meaning he knows very well, aa means very well. vid is similar to samvid. Avid Photographer, avid speaker; – aavid : he who knows well.

So samvid is he who very clearly understands his own self. So that is, awareness is sputathara uchrumbate. Very well, so this awareness is present in the conscious mind, in the semi-conscious state as well as in the unconscious state. For in the Science they say unconscious state is where your brain is not really working, in full speed or full measure. Brain may not be working, but what the brain, what makes the brain work, that is present (laughs). If that is absent, you are dead (laughs). Brain is not working, hundred percent capacity. Even otherwise it doesn’t work anyway. But that is also death, if it doesn’t work.

So that awareness which is constantly present in waking, dream and deep sleep, yaa samvid. It is referred as yaa, which is indicating it to be feminine gender. So samvid is what, is feminine. So don’t get angry about that. It is, samvid is a feminine gender there. yaa samvid uchrumbate sputathara – that is why it is sputathar-aa it is said. Otherwise it will become sputathar-a. Or if is new to, sputathara-m, it will become. sputatharaa yaa samvid uchrumbate.

And one may think that yes, this conscious living, I mean living in conscious state – waking, dream, deep sleep – this belong to only human beings?

Here, Shankaracharya says, ‘no sir’, ya brahma di : from the Brahman onwards, Brahma means, the Creator Brahma. From then onwards, from Him onwards pipeelika –pipeelika means a small, little ant. pipeelika is such a small ant, anta : upto that. From Brahma onwards upto a small ant, tanushoo : in their bodies, uh? tan, is body. So tan, tanodi – that which is well-knit.

So tanushoo, upto the body of all the, from Brahma onwards upto a small ant, prota : that is well present, what is that? jagad saakshini ya, jagadaha saakshini : She who is the witness of all things in the world.

Now in your life what you have seen, I have not seen. What I have not seen, you have not seen. So through all of us who is the witness to the world? Through me, in my life what I have seen, in you whatever you have seen in this way in this world every living beings what they have seen is called world. That in, is that which is not seen by anybody in this world doesn’t exist, doesn’t exist.

If a thing is there in this world, which is not seen by anybody, what is the proof of its existence? Does a thing exist which is not seen by anybody? Until it is seen, it doesn’t exist. So what exists is that which is seen by someone in this world. So jagadaga saakshini, the witness to the world is that awareness, which is functioning through from the Brahma onwards up to a small, little ant.

So jagad saakshini, meaning the witness of the entire world. World has to be witnessed. If the world is not seen, it doesn’t exist. So jagad saakshini yaa prota.

Swamiji (Shankaracharya) writes here, prota means that is the sole witness of the entire play of the universe. That is which is called prota, life spark. otah-protaha, you might probably know, warp and woof of creation. You know, this cloth is if you take, there are two things that have to be there – the set of threads that are going this way and set of threads that are going this way. Then only they are knit. Knitting the cloth means what? You might have seen, shwhish shwhish – one goes like this, and then, it goes like this, right? You might have seen – the weaving.

So weaving means, set of uh, threads go like this and set of threads have to go like this. And then again this and then again this, and then again this – this is called otah-protaha. This is called well-knitting the whole thing. mayaa tatamidam sarvam, huh? As Bhagavan (Shankaracharya) says here, by me everything tatam : spread; tatam. So in the same way prota means that which is presently, present there in every living being from the ant or from the Brahma till the ant, spread all over, well-knit into every living being, jagad saakshini.

So what we have seen? That in my own individual life present in all my experiences – waking, dream, deep sleep – continuously and in the world, it is not only in

me, (but) from Brahma onwards up to a little ant it is the same thing. So I cannot own saying that that Brahman belongs to me only. One cannot say, I know I am Brahman, I don’t know about others. I doubt others are having Brahman at all or not.

So that is the reason why we discriminate, you know. I know I am Brahman. Therefore I am brahmana, I don’t know about that person. I don’t think he has Brahman in him. Whether, that is what happened in the case of Shankaracharya that he said, ‘move away’, thinking that that person does not have this (Brahman). He may not have that knowledge but that does not mean that it (Brahman) is absent.

So, therefore he says, saa eva aham. saa means saa-samvid, saa-jagad saakshini – eva aham. That awareness, that which is the witness of the entire universe, that alone am I. saa eva aham, that meaning ayam atma brahma : this Self in me. atma when you refer it as an individual self. But that very same individual self itself is the Self of all-beings that is called Brahman. ‘at’-‘man’ – brah-‘man’ (laughs). ‘man’ is the same.‘at’-‘man’, it is with, ‘at me’; and brah-man, it is brah means ‘everything’. So that ‘me’ what is there in me is the same in everyone - Brahman.

saa eva aham | na cha drishya vastu (audience cough – Swamiji asks, ‘you need water? Or you need some mint? Because it becomes dry, that is the reason.’).

So saa eva aham | na cha drishya vastu : not what is seen or experienced by me. (You) know in this, you know, you might have heard the text, ‘Drishya Viveka’ (by Bhagavan Shankaracharya); this idea is expanded there. na cha drishya vastu : (in) the first verse itself he says, what is that? roopam drishyam lochanam drik, tad drishyam drik tu maanasam : uh? what is, when I see a form, uh, form is seen, eyes are the seer. Right?

Form is there – (for example) that cloth I am seeing. What is seeing that cloth? My eyes. So you come suddenly close to yourself . What is seen is far away, the seer is so close to yourself. You should not say, the cloth is seen. Who is seeing? That eye is seeing (laughs). Eye is not far away. You say, my eyes, this eyes. So the moment you refer to the seer, it comes closer to you. Seen is going far away.

So roopam drishyam : form is seen. lochanam drik : drik means seer. tad drishyam : even the eyes are seen. By what? drik tu maanasam : eyes are also seen but the seer is the mind, thoughts. Without thoughts can you see? That is why most Tamilians (say), ‘Oh, I see’ (laughs). ‘I went there you see’; ‘Oh, I see’. So ‘I see’ means ‘I think’, ‘I understand’.

So through thoughts alone you can see. If the thought is not there, you will not be able to see. Not able to see means what? You will not understand or recognize or register what you see.

Similarly whatever comes to your ear as sound, you don’t hear. If the thought is not there, you will not hear that. When I am talking, uh – you are thinking about what I am talking. If your thought is somewhere else, uh – ‘what did you say?’ ‘Just now I said

something’. ‘O I didn’t hear’. ‘You didn’t hear? Both the ears are open? How can you not hear, I am shouting at the top of my voice?’ ‘You may shout how much ever you want but my mind is not there’ (laughs).

Don’t you say, to your own teenage boys or girls – ‘how many times I have told you, you don’t hear’. ‘Yes, my mind is never, I never mind about you, so you keep telling (but) my mind is somewhere else.’ So when the thought is not there, you don’t hear. When the thought is not there, you don’t see.

Bhagavan again, again (says) shrunu : that word, listen. Don’t just hear. Listen. Meaning keep your thoughts behind what I am saying. So sometimes you will be eating food, thinking about something (and) your wife asks, ‘how was the food?’ ‘Which food?’ ‘What you are eating.’ ‘O yes, yes – nice, tasty, tasty’. ‘I didn’t put salt at all’. ‘Is it?’ (laughs) Because you are not paying attention, you are thinking about something, you are eating. You don’t even notice that there is no salt. Sometimes she will test you like that –whether you are really eating or not, you are really paying attention or not.

So when the thought is not there, you don’t see, hear, taste, smell, touch, none of those. The faculties may register some, may experience in the very gross level but nothing registers. Because there is no gist, therefore no regist (laughs), no registration.

So here, so thoughts are considered subtle than perception. So tad drishyam drik tu maanasam : even mind is drishyam. dhi-budhi is the drishtaa, drik. Because that thought may arise. So many thoughts are arising in your mind. Do you remember all of them? From the time you wake up till you go to bed, so many thoughts arise, do you recall all of them? Do you? No. Why? You didn’t hear? I heard. You didn’t think about it? I thought about it. Then? What is registered is what is discriminated, what is understood, what is remembered, retained.

So the intellect’s function is not at the level of the mind where everything goes on. It decides what to take and what not to take. What to register, what not to register. What to remember, what not to remember. So many faces I see everyday but what I recall are those which I have observed, paid attention. Uh? So dhi-budhi is subtler than the mind. Mind thinks and intellect decides, to retain or not to retain. Uh? So that is why it is called niscaya atmika budhihi sankalpipakalp atmikamanaha. So this budhi is therefore subtler than even the mind. So what is subtler is closer to you.

Objects seen is far, the seer is the eyes – close, closer to you. Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching these functions of the senses are gross when compared to the mind which thinks. Mind thoughts are gross compared to the intellect which decides, retains, remembers, identifies. Even the budhi is considered to be outer or grosser, compared to awareness. This awareness is not a function. It is not a function of a particular faculty.

Awareness is like the light. Light that is coming from the windows to all the objects. Uh? All the objects are being illumined the same way. So, awareness does not

necessarily discriminate which one to be given light and which one not to be given light. It is equally available. So just like the sun’s light is equally present, similarly awareness is present in all our thoughts. This awareness illumines everything. Just like the sunlight illumines the object, so awareness illumines all thoughts.

This awareness is present in all thoughts equally – good or bad, right or wrong. And that is the closest. It is subtler than the intellect; because without the awareness, intellect also cannot discriminate anything. So this awareness is the closest. ‘That alone am I’ – saa eva aham, na cha drishya vastu. Meaning, na budhi krita mritayaha budhi janita vridayaha and it is not the various thoughts in my mind, it is not the objects perceived through the senses, na cha drishya vastu idi : he who has drida prajna : a firm awareness, firm understanding.

prajna word is used like in Bhagavad Gita also. sida prajna, same as drida prajna : a firm knowledge or understanding. yasyaasthi chet : if in case a person has yasya of whom asti chet : in case if he has, he is my teacher. He is my teacher who has this firm awareness.

What is that awareness? I am that Self, I am not the one which is seen or thought of or decided – I am awareness. Because budhi’s function of deciding, mind’s function of thinking or feeling and functions of the sense in the form of perceiving, these are not me. I am the awareness.

What awareness is that? That which is present in the jaagrad, waking, dream and deep sleep. That which is present in the smallest ant up to the huge, the very Creator of this Universe. Same way, that awareness I am.

This way one who has the firm understanding, let him be a chandaala, let him be a brahmana. He is my teacher. Shankaracharya says, therefore I don’t care who the person is. Does he have this knowledge?

You remember in the case of the, uh, one boy was in a village, who was considered mad by his parents and others; because he never had taken anything seriously. He had, he was living, he was quite a, a teenager. But he all the time was blissful, rolling on the ground, joyful. Everything, if somebody does that kind of a thing you know – you will think, ‘mad fellow’. But he was very clear. And everybody thought him to be mad.

When Shankaracharya visited that village, his parents were very, uh, you know concerned. They took that boy to Him and then said – this boy from the very early childhood, he is constantly laughing; and he was, he never cares, his just, the nature, and what he says we just don’t understood. Can you just look at him?

‘Yes – who are you?’ He asked. Shankaracharya asked the question, ‘who are you’. Oh, the answer that he gave, that was so profound. That boy was a, you know, born as a yogi.

His knowledge of the truth was so clear to him like that of a gooseberry in his hand, like a fruit kept in his hand – how clear it is. Therefore he called him as, hastaamalakaha. hastae : in the hand, aamalakavat jnanam yasyaasti : he who has this knowledge – so clear, like that of a fruit, I mean kept on his hand – it is such clear understanding.

And what he said, Shankaracharya starts writing down. He had reverence to even that boy, who is much younger than to him. But He says, let me, he may be a young boy but he has that knowledge. hastaamalakiyam, you know – hastaamalaka stotram, it is known as.

So gana channa margam gana channa drishtihi : because the clouds are covering, does not mean Sun is absent. When the clouds move away the ever-present Sun is seen. So is the case of the Self, people think, that because of their cloud-ness of ignorance in their mind they are not aware of this blissful awareness. When the thoughts and the clouds of ignorance gone, the beautiful awareness shines on its own accord – it is one of the verses.

So Bhagavan Shankaracharya immediately appointed him as the disciple (laughs). Because such a, such a man of such knowledge and learning, who is available? So rare – hastaamalaka.

So He never bothered about what kind of a person he would be – whether it is a learned or unlearned, educated, uneducated, doesn’t matter; whether it (/he) is a brahmana or chandaala, whatever it (/he) may be. He who has this knowledge, is my guru.

So therefore, in these verse, first verse itself Shankaracharya has declared indirectly the beautiful statement of the Upanishad – ayam atma brahma : this awareness is Brahman, which is ayam refers to this One which is present in the waking, dream and deep sleep. Never absent at any time.

This One is present in the Brahma onwards up to a smallest ant, to show that even a smallest ant is equally blessed by the same awareness. So no single living organism should be disregarded, as neecha. (For) that also is Brahman.

By which He indicates to us, don’t take, don’t insult any life. Don’t insult any life. Every life is potentially divine. It is divine. Do not insult or censure, look down upon any, any, any living being. That is why it is said, santa purushaas are what? sarva bhuta hiterataaha | vasanta vallo cahitam charantaha : like that of the, the spring breeze, they continuously live in great joy, giving joy to others.

sarva bhuta hiterataaha : they always work for the benefit of all living beings – whether it is a small insignificant ant or maybe a well regarded, respected great personality in this world. They have a full respect, admiration for that presence there.

And that is not something which is remote to oneself. It is there – in each of our experiences. When I see a thing, an object it is not the eyes that is seeing. It is the thought that makes me see. It is not the thought (but) it is a decision to see. It is not a decision, it is awareness. Because of awareness alone I am able to see.

pashyan shrunvan sprishan jighran ashnan gacchan shwapan shwasan. (Gita ch 5, vs 7) | pralapan visrijan grihnan nunmishan nimishannapi;indriyaaneendriyaartheshu vartanta iti (dhaarayan) (Gita ch 5, vs 8) naiva kinchit karomeeti (Gita ch V, vs 7) : I am not doing anything. (edited previous line : vartanta iti matvā na sajjate – Gita ch 3, vs 28 / replacing to ‘dhaarayan’) The faculties are functioning.

prakriti is functioning through my, my intellect, my mind, my senses. But prakriti can function only in my presence, in the awareness. That awareness I am. purushaha prakriti stohi mungte prakriti jaan guna | kaaranam guna sanghah : because of the presence of the purusha in prakriti, prakriti functions. What is the cause? guna sanghah : association with qualities.

So awareness associated with qualities is our physical body and the entire world. So this awareness on its own nature, unconnected to this gunas is referred as atman or brahman. That alone am I.

So this firm understanding, he is not only understanding, it is continuously experienced by him. Therefore he is free. He is not caught in what he experiences through his senses or mind or the intellect. He is ever able to remain aloof, away – away in the sense rising above that, remaining in that freedom, functions in this world, knowing pretty well all the functions are the prakriti-s. In my presence the prakriti is acting.

In that way one who has the clear understanding is my teacher. This is my firm conviction – esha maneesha mama. So in this verse, beautifully Bhagavan laid the foundation. Think about that, this itself will take a lot of time – to, first of all understand; in every act of yours at least remind yourself – it is because of my awareness, which is present in me, I am seeing, I am touching, I am smelling, I am talking, I am walking. I am the awareness and awareness functioning through these things is what I call it as my being, my individual being.

This is the constant awareness is the first declaration – ayam atma brahma. It is not, ‘thou shalt not do this’, ‘thou shall do this’ (laughs). That kind of a instruction is for the immature. Upanishad Masters do not give instructions. They give inspirations. They give insight. They have intelligence. They don’t consider the others are fools. Only foolish people have to be instructed, is it not?

You only tell a small, young child – ‘I told you this’ and ‘don’t do this’. Once the child becomes a teenager, (if you say) ‘do this’, (he will ask) ‘why?’; ‘don’t do this’, ‘why not?’ So at that stage you cannot give them instructions; because you attribute intelligence to them and therefore you can only give inspiration, only give suggestions.

So here Upanishad Masters do not give instructions. They show you, clearly, use that, they give that insight. Once you have that insight, understanding, maturity then you are on your own – think about it. The Upanishad Masters are not anxious whether you are following their, what they have said or not. If you are mature you will follow. If you not mature you will, you will experience (laughs). That will be realized later.

(sings closing prayer)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om |*4

END of Session #2 of #6

SESSION #3

Swamiji:

OU…MOU…M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks - Verse Two

We will read the first three verses starting from page three :

(chants first verse, the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeat chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeat chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi(group repeat chant)

kimprohi gacha gacheti(group repeat chant)

(chants verse number two, the prologue)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja anandaa vabodaam bhudau

(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number one)jaagrathswapnasushuptishu sputathara yaa samviduchchrumbate(group repeats chant)

yaa hbrahmaadipipeelikaantatanushu protaa jagadsaakshini |(group repeats chant)

seivaaham na cha drishyavastvati dridaprajnaabi yasyaasta che(group repeats chant)

chchandaalosthu sa thu dvikjosthu gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

As you said, this is a prajnanam brahma lakshana vaakya, first one. prajnanam brahma, that comes in Aitreya Upanishad. That is, the One which is present in waking, dream and deep sleep. jaagra shwapna su sushtishu. And it is not, not known. sputathara duchrumvate : it is not, not known.

In fact even ajnanam, even the ignorance is known because of that. As it is said in Upadesha Saram also, that this is both, both known and unknown is known to that. Because if you say, I know something I am aware of something. If I say I don’t know something, I am aware of what I don’t know. Uh? That is, ignorance is also a form of awareness – awareness of what you don’t know.

So here, that awareness is sputathara uchrumvate, very clearly. And that which is not only exclusively only for human beings. brahmaadi : from devata onwards, pipeedika antatanushu : in all the living beings upto the, a ant.

prota jagad saakshini : spread, it is the very witness of this Universe. That alone am I – sa eva aha, saa eva aham. na cha drishyavastu : not what I come to perceive through my senses. idi dridaprajnayasi yasi yasra : one who has the dridaprajnasi.

So it is, prajna is what? jna is ‘to know’, as I told you yesterday – jna is ‘to know’. And we know jnanam : knowledge. vijnanam is visesha jnanam. If I know something is one thing. But I know ‘specially’ something – that is Science. Uh? Science is, knowing a thing in greater depth.

Then what is prajnanam? jnanam I know (it is) knowledge. vijnanam, the Science. And what is prajnanam then? prathamajnanam : because of what you know everything. That is why I know this object – ‘a watch’, I know the name of that and what is it made of. But I would not know what are the components gone inside, how it is working. Uh? Those, then it becomes Science.

So if I know a thing generally, in general when I know, that is knowledge. But I know in detail, all the details of how it is, why it is, when it is not, how it is not, then it is become a Science. And then it is said even to know this, even to know it generally you need to have to a primary awareness – prathamajnanam prajnanam.

First of all I should be a man of, a person of awareness about myself. Why the uh, animals and others do not have inquisitiveness to know things much more than just being aware of something? As human beings are more interested in knowing everything in detail – going into more and more you know, specific details. Because there, human beings have the faculty of knowing themselves much more, deeply, or more specifically than all other living beings.

My own existence I am constantly aware, because of which a human being has the inquisitive to know everything in detail. And I will also exist. But does it answer ‘who am I’? It is an enquire(y). Perhaps it does, we don’t know.

But a human being not only is aware of objects outside, it is, he is aware of himself – ‘I am’. So the positive aspect of ‘I am’ is going towards knowledge. A negative side of ‘I am’ is arrogance. ‘I am’ – I am an individual. Like any body else I am another person. So that leads to ego and pride.

And the positive side is ‘I am’ leading to enquiry, ‘who am I’, ‘what is this I’. So this is prathamajnanam. That is why it is called, pra-jnanam, prajnanam. So dridaprajna, this self awareness yas : he who has, which is firm, the self-awareness is firm, yasyaasi is if one has, then let him be a chandaala, let him be a twice born brahmin, he is the Guru. idi yesha maneesha mama.

Because guru is one who has intensive self-awareness because of which he is able to overcome his ignorance and he alone can overcome others, make others overcome their own ignorance. This is the reason why in the fourth chapter of ‘Gita’, Bhagavan Krishna says, that those who have got theoretical knowledge but did not make it their practical experience, when they pass on this knowledge to others, it loses its uh, strength, or usefulness.

That is why He said, I gave a higher knowledge to Lord Sun and this has been passed on to various rishis – raja rishis but sa kaalena mahatha yogo nashta paranthtapa : over a period of time the knowledge lost its value because the people who passed on that knowledge did not practice it. So when that theoretically it is given, but not practically it is, I mean experienced, such knowledge became useless.

Therefore He says, uh, that knowledge he who has firmly, meaning he himself practiced it, dridaprajnabi yas yaasi che chandaalo sukaduka jostithu??? guru yesha maneesha mama : this is my firm conviction.

To whom did he teach this? That chandaala who was there, he also disappeared. To whom is that? To his own mind as well as to his disciples around. Uh? It is not for uh, that one who was standing in front of him. He has gone. So through that occasion, situation, Shankaracharya tells his, he has started teaching his own students, who were watching that situation. But also through them he has been teaching to all of us.

So do not judge anyone’s greatness by merely looking at that person. Acception mere deception. Uh? You do not know what is the depth of a person’s knowledge by looking at that person, or an external appearance. And therefore don’t come to hasty conclusion about any individual by an external appearance of that person.

But in the Western world, what does it say – ‘first impression is best impression’, all sort of things. Because externally if you are impressive then you must be, uh, very highly intellectual or cultured person – wearing a nice coat, nice perfume and latest gadgets you carry – that does not mean in any way that you are a man of sophisticated culture.

On the other hand, people not wearing proper dress, which is very impressive, they are not having you know, latest, you know, gadgets, etc, does not mean they are men of you know, that is the western method of or materialistic method of looking at things. So many Masters, like for example, Ramana Maharishi and Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, people – what external attraction they had, so, uh, created through them? What Mahatma Gandhi carried, to, and made him attract him? Nothing. But their depth of knowledge is unfathomable.

And people even now it is said… many people are getting Ph.D. out of such things (laughs). Looking at them, understanding them – what they have said… So therefore, guruhu is, the teacher is not a person externally having certain status, position, power, etc. chandaalahastu : let him be an unlearned and dvijahastu, maybe a learned person. But he who has this firm conviction, I mean firm knowledge, he is my guru. idi esha maneesha mama.

See understand, in Bhagavad Gita also it is said, that a person who has knowledge must have humility. That is, the Brahmana is one who has two big, important qualities – learning and humility : vidhya vinayasam. vidhya vinaya sampanne brahmanae gavi hastini shuni chaiva shvapa kesha pandita samadarsha. I told you this.

In another place also, sixth chapter, suhrunmitra ari yuda sena madhyastha desya bandushu | saadushvapicha paapechu samabudhir visihyate. A man of knowledge is one, he considers all of them same. suhrun : a man of good heart, suhrun, mitra : friend, ari : an enemy, udaseena : indifferent person, madhyasta : a mediator, banduh : a relative,

saadhu : a saint, aapi : a sinner. In all of them he maintains the same kind of oneness. sama budhihi visishyate vimuchyate – keeping the mind same.

But often because of our own habits, our own identification, we tend to become prejudiced. So here in this verse, He also asks us to maintain the sama budih in all occassion. Do not come to hasty conclusion, as I said.

Now the next one, next verse is the next important, uh, mahavaakya. Again it is not in any particular order. It is the anubhava vaakya, known as aham brahmaasmi. The real order in which it has to go is, first is the lakshana vaakya, then it comes to – anusandhana vaakya – uh, uh, this upadesha vaakya, anusandhana vaakya and then anubhava vaakya.

pragyanam brahma is lakshanam – an indicative, indicator. Then comes upadesha - the teacher comes to say tat tvam asi : you are That. Then comes the next stage where a student goes and contemplates upon, comes to realize ayam atma brahma. Then declares to the world out of his experience, aham brahmaasmi. So that is called anubhava vaakya.

Here, Bhagavan Shankaracharya has taken the second one, I mean second as the anubhava vaakya. We read the verse two, page nine:

( chants verse number two )brahmaivaahamidam( group repeats )brahmaivaahamidam

jagatsa sakalamjagatsa sakalam

chinmaatra vistaaritamchinmaatra vistaaritam

sarvam chaitadvavityayasarvam chaitadvavityaya

trigunayatrigunaya

ashesham maya kalpidamashesham maya kalpidam

ittam yascha dridaa matihiittam yascha dridaa matihi

sukatharae

sukatharae

nityae parae nirmalaenityae parae nirmalae

chandaalo stuta dukvijostuchandaalo stuta dukvijostu

gururit yesha maneesha mamagururit yesha maneesha mama

Together.

( chants verse number two, group joins together )brahmaivaahamidam jagatsa sakalamchinmaatra vistaaritam

sarvam chae tadvavityaya trigunayaashesham maya kalpidam

ittam yascha dridaa matihi sukatharaenityae parae nirmalae

chandaalo stuta dukvijostugururit yesha maneesha mama

Last line remaining the same (as the previous verse). End one is dridaprajna is what you have said before; here in this verse it is dridaamatihi. Same as that one, the earlier said – dridaprajna : firm awareness.

Here dridaamatihi : firm understanding. What is this firm understanding that he has? idam brahma – sorry… brahma eva aham : I am that Brahman alone. idam jagat : this world is, sakalam idam jagat : entire world is, chinmaatra vistaaritam : it is a spread of consciousness only.

ayam brahman : (it is) not I am Brahmin. ayam brahman : and the world is nothing but a spread of consciousness.

I have said in the evening session also. Space doesn’t have any particular place. Uh? You cannot say here is Space and here it is not. You cannot identify Space in a particular place alone. It is vistaaritam : it is spread. And ‘spread’ means what? It doesn’t have a particular source of beginning and you cannot say here is where it ends. That is the reason why Science doesn’t consider Space as a, an element.

All other things, which are existing in space – they (i.e. in Science) have only four – air, fire, water, earth. For them the Space is not an element; because it is not measurable. But strangely, Science also believes that Space bends. Is it not? Science also believes that, it ‘walks’.

Today’s world, the World of Science believes that. If that is so, then space is also something which is, you know subjective. Such changes – because the density of matter, do cause certain changes in the Space. And therefore, Space according to Vedanta is also a created matter.

So the Space itself is apparently beginningless and endless. That which is the cause of Space, then what it would be? So as the Science proceeds to find out the reality of the external world, so does Vedanta. It also tries to find out the Reality.

As Science also believes the reality is there, which whatever be the, it could be, the very source of all laws, the universal laws. And Science also believes in the relativity of things, which are subject to constant change. It believes in relativity of everything.

In Vedanta also we see, reality and relativity. And Vedanta declares reality is one, realitivity is the many. And the relativity is referred as jagat. Gurudev used to say, jayate gachchati thrishtathi iti jagat. ja, ga, th. (makes the sound:) jagajagajagajaga (laughs). Uh, keeps moving. ja means jayate, ga means gachati. jayate means that which is born, ga is that which goes. So (it) comes and goes – that is nature of the world.

In-between it (is) apparently, for momentarily (it is) trishtathi : stay. What is now? ‘Day’, you say. When did it begin? ‘Few hours back’. When does it end? ‘Few hours later’. But between that beginning and end, in-between you think that it is, ‘it is day-time now’. So a daytime is as though ‘it is’, right? thrishtathi. But how long it is there? Another maybe, another ten hours or so. (then) it is gone. That is jagat.

If we can understand a day is such a short, compared to that, equally compared to night also is this, equal, right? If it is twelve hours of daytime, (it is) twelve hours of night. So do you think daytime is greater than night – it appears so, because we are awake – usually. Teenagers for them night is the daytime. You know that is what is long for them.

So we are awake to the daytime but we are asleep to the night. And therefore day appears to be more and night appears to be short. Why? (It is) because we are not even aware – we sleep. Only when you are traveling from here to India you will realize, night also is so big (laughs) – equally big.

So it is twelve hours of day and twelve hours of night. That is Bhagavan has very clearly (stated), this much only – not one second more.

And here, in this particular verse he says, this jagat which I am experiencing as that subjective work and then, and in-between a temporary stay – this is experienced by Me and that experience of this world is totally decided by how I perceive.

So this world, which I see is an extension of my awareness – chinmaatra vistaaritam.

Like for example, how distant you can see with your eyes, how far you can see? Let us see you are standing in one place, how far you can see – how the, remotest object what you can see? To that extent is your vision, is it not? Beyond that you cannot see. Beyond that that we cannot see, does not become an object of your perception.

So my awareness can go only upto that point, not far than that. So my awareness has in this world of experience, going through my eyes has got certain limits. Some birds and some of them can see much, much more than me. The eagle for that matter, it may be flying some hundred feet above the ground. But it can see what is happening there – below, (which) you cannot.

Similarly a bat can listen to the sound, which you cannot listen. So awareness, really speaking has no limit, it is limited by the instrument by which you are using. Uh? It is said, if you make a sound in the outer space, it keeps traveling. Doesn’t have an end. If you shed, if you throw a light in the outer space, it keeps moving. It never ends. There is no limit to it.

So it is awareness is limited apparently by the instrument by which you are experiencing. So actually the chit, that Consciousness is, vistaaritam.

(sings)chinmayam vyapi yat sarvamtrilokyam sa characharamtatpadam darshitam yenatasmai sri guravae namah |

By that awareness alone the whole world is spread. But awareness expressed through a (the) limited equipments can give only limited experiences. So this whole world is a spread of awareness – chinmaatra vistaaritam.

And another way of looking at it is, from that tasmaatva yetasma akaasha sampoorna – from that consciousness alone akaasha has come. If akaasha is limitless, what is the nature of that consciousness from which it has come? Because effect is, effect cannot be greater than the cause. If the effect or space itself is limitless, what will be nature of its cause or consciousness? So, and consciouness being the cause, the space being the effect, effect cannot cross the limits of the cause.

If an object, a necklace is made of gold, it will have the quality of gold only. Not anything more than that.

So if space is limitless – apparently that is what Science believes so – and if the cause of the space is consciousness, which is what Vedanta declares, then no limitation can be there in that space, in that consciousness.

That being so, vistaaritam. chinmaatra vistaaritam. As Bhagavan says in His own words, maya tatamitam sarvam | jagat avyakta murthi nama. As the unmanifest or formless nature, Me, the consciousness alone is spread all over. matah parataram n’yantu kinji dasti dananjaya : beyond Me there can be nothing else. chinmaatra vistaaritam.

See any particular verse, this method of explanation by Shankaracharya is three fold – one is sruthi, another is jnaya, another is anubhava. sruthi, yukti, anubhooti – this is the method of explaining.

Quote the sruthi to prove the authority of the statement. Second yukthi – prove by logic and third, by anubhooti – by your own personal experience. There can be certain things which cannot be expressed by experience. Then you use yukti and sruti. Some of them can be explained only by yukti – logic, it. And logic and uh, what you call – there cannot, sometimes there cannot be any logic in that. But then sruti alone is the pramaanam for that.

Not all that are explained in this shaastraas or even explained by Masters, can be your experience. You are trying to attempt, make it as your experience.

Sometimes those which are said, appears to be illogical. But then one should accept that because it is according to the scriptures. sruti – authority, yukti – logic and anubhooti – personal experience. Where personal experience is not there, sruti and yukti are used.

When certain times, when the yukti is also not applicable there, one should not reject, because the first primary thing authority is there, so sruti has to be taken. That is how Bhagavan Shankaracharya will explain this.

So, it is all spread of consciousness. What is sruti vaakya for that? tasmaatva ye tasmaat akaasha sampoornaha. Or Bhagavan says, maya tatamidam sarvam jagat avyakta murti nama. matah parataram naayat kinjidasti dananjaya. sarvam kaluyidam brahma. These are the shruti vaakyaas, sruti vaakyas. What is the logic of that? Logic is that awareness, without the awareness no experience is possible. Anything that is seen in this world must have been known to someone. An aware-ful person alone recognizes the world and its existence. So awareness is the backbone of all experiences, which we have seen earlier also then, in the earlier verse. And it is our personal experience also, that.

So, (sings) brahmaivaaham idam jagat sa sakalam chinmaatra vistaaritam : how do you say that you are Brahman; ok, I understand that it is spread of consciousness. But how do you conclude that you are Brahman? brahma eva aham : connection to the

previous verse – what is referred as prajna : my own awareness. That Awareness which is present not only in me but in all living beings, in me what is referred as Awareness is atman. And that very Self is present in all living beings, that total homogeneousness of that Oneself is referred as Brahman. Uh?

I am aware; the awareness in me is operating through my body and my intellect, my mind, which I understand as self-awareness – prajna or atman, antaratman – the same one is in all living beings.

For example, when you say ‘society’, what do you mean by Society? Without the individuals, can there be a Society? “We have formed a Society”. Who is there? Nobody (laughs). Then it cannot be a Society. When you say, ‘community’ or ‘society’ or a ‘group’, it consists of individuals. ‘Group’ by itself does not have any existence. Unless there are people who are constituting that group.

Similarly, Brahman when you say, or collective consciousness, it is not an independent entity by itself. It is that consciousness, homogeneous one, which itself is expressing as individuals here.

That collective consciousness, totality, it can be of different category. At the physical body level it is called viraat. At the mind level it is called, eshwar. At the spiritual or the highest level, it is referred hiranyagarba – at the causal level. But at the, at the level of consciousness it is referred as Brahman.

So Brahman at the conscious level; at the causal level it is called hiranyagarba. At the mind level it is called eshwaraha. And at the level of the physical body it is called viraat. Hm? And in the individual it is called vishwa, taijasa and praajna – which you come to know, in Mandukya Upanishad it is explained there.

So the total awareness, total consciousness – Brahman, itself at the causal level, the causal individual, praajna. And the level of the mind as expressed in the form of thoughts, it is taijasaha. At the level of physical body as an individual, vishwa. Totality in the total is Brahman – hiranyagarba, eshwar and at the level of the body, viraat.

So he says, brahma eva aham idam, brahma eva mayam : that Supreme Brahman alone. This jagat which I referred as idam – the experiencable world is the extension of consciousness only, chinmaatra vistaaritam.

And then if that spread of consciousness alone is this entire world, why there is variety? Huh? Why there is so much of variety? One doesn’t look like another. One man doesn’t look like another. Man is not like an animal. Animal is not like bird, bird is not a plant, plant is not a rock. One rock is not like another rock. Mountain is different from the river. River is different from the tree.

Tree is different from – even in a tree you will see different things. And in – the trunk is there, the branch is there, the leaves are there. The fruits are there, the flowers are there. How, what a variety is this!

This variety is what is making the life very interesting thing. If all of them look alike, moulded in the same way – what interest you will have, to see. New person you meet, the same, looking the same (laughs) – nothing interesting. The whole life becomes interesting because of this variety. This variety is what is being worshipped as prakriti – variety.

You know, prakriti is none other than that which causes this variety possible. What causes a variety – combinations, is it not? Ratatouille (laughs) – see you eat the same thing everyday, extra one more, some more masala, add more masala to it, make a bollywood movie, go on adding masala. Twist and turns make the story, interesting. If the same thing goes on – no interest at all.

So when you eat food also you want, little spice added here, little this added there, that is… then only, that is interesting – rasa. It becomes more and more interesting thing. So then what is that which creates this variety here? If it is one spread of consciousness, what brings this variety hm? Colorfulness, apparent contradictions. That is said, sarvam cha : all this varieties, etad, sarvam etad : all this, avidyaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam.

sarvam cha etad : all this other than the consciousness whatever they experience as variety of things, avidyaya trigunaya : by ignorance which is also because of the three qualities, ashesham : completely,without leaving anything behind, maya kalpidam – some people read it as maaya kalpidam, the only ‘aa’ you add (laughs). (chants) sarvam chaita dvavitya trigunaya ashesham mayaa kalpidam – but it doesn’t fit that, uh, you know, the meter.

So, it is created by the variety, variety is created by adding some ingredients to it, which is called the three qualities – trigunaatmikaa maaya : hm, the three qualities that are there. Spice, salt, sugar hm? Let me put it that way (laughs), which when added the whole thing changes – is it not? Anywhere you add a little spice, a more little salt and little more sugar, uh – too much, it completely changes.

So that is how people make three as – spice, sugar, salt. If you are a Gujarati, sugar. If you are a Tamilian, salt. If you are a Andhraadu, spice. Everything changes. So this trigunaas, are those which create varieties. Otherwise all will be the same. But who created this trigunaas? He says, mayaa kalpidam. Why? avidyaya. So what makes a variety? trigunaas. Who creates this variety? Me. Why you create a variety? avidya.

So I am not, I am getting bored (laughs) – so create some … my own ignorance creates, my own self-forgetfulness – that is called avidya here. My self-forgetfulness, my, not knowing myself to be the pure awareness, that self-forgetfulness creates, it’s a cause for that. avidya is the moola karana.

What is the ingredients of this change? trigunas – qualities which are there. So, asesham mayaa kalpidam – avidyaya, trigunaya. So therefore, here when I see variety, I do not consider the consciousness is the cause for this. Consciousness is not the cause for this. I am the cause for it. I should take responsibility for the variety that I experience. So we often blame the world for our personal problems. It is the easy way to get rid of it – because of him, because of her, because of the situation.

But Vedanta says, none of the things that are happening in this world are caused by external factor alone, you are the main contributor. That is how Bhagavan Krishna also teaches Arjuna. You are the main contributor to this problem. If you are collapsing in the battlefield, the reason is not Duryodhan, the reason is not Karna or there the Bhishma Pitamaha or Drona. The main cause is your mind. There may be other factors which are influencing it. But the primary cause lies in you only.

So therefore, in Vedanta the person who is practicing Vedanta has less things to complain about in this world. Primarily he looks into himself or herself. ‘What is it that I can do to change the situation?’ As I said, either you avoid a situation or alter situation. But primarily change oneself which will more or less take care of the whole thing. Krishna also says, look into yourself and change yourself. That is the main cause.

So sarvam cha etad avidyaya trigunaya maya kalpidam : by Me alone it is created, variety. The variety obviously brings about certain joy and sorrow, certain successs and failure, certain ups and downs, certain gain and loss, some joy and – sukam and dukam.

That is why Bhagavan Krishna says, sukha dukhe same kritva, labha labhau, jaya ajayau, tato yudhaya yudhasva : if you are able to maintain that sameness, meaning not influenced by this trigunaas, if you are able to work in this world, then you are eventually overcome all your situations. mama maya duratyaya : He also cautions that, my maya is really, really difficult to overcome.

maameva ye prapadyante maayaametaam taranti te : if one recognizes that maya is a illusory uh, influence in you and you can see Me behind that, you may probably overcome that very easily. So itam yasya dridaa matihi – itam : in this way, yasya : whom, dridaa matihi : firm understanding. If it is there, because of which he understands that all the varieties of experience I am going through are because of my own ignorance.

If this understanding is there, then he recognizes also that which is behind this so called variety, sukathare nithyae parae nirmalae matihi – sukathare : most blissful; nithayae : in that eternal one; parae : the Supreme; nirmalae : blemishless, pure – his mind is ever established in that.

Our joys are continuously affected by our own, influences of our own, you know, gunas supported by ignorance. Like for example, in a deep sleep one experiences bliss.

Certain amount of joy. We may call it as bliss. Because ignorance is bliss we say. But actually speaking ignorance is not bliss. There are three things which are said as the states of happiness. One is called Pleasure. What is Pleasure? Pleasure is where your sense organs experiencing its own fulfillment.

When I am eating a very tasty food, that food gives a total satisfaction to my tongue. Uh, at that moment tongue is not seeking anything else. Similarly I see a beautiful thing, the eyes are feeling fulfilled. I smell a beautiful fragrance, the nose is feeling fulfilled.

In this way, sense organs having a certain state of fulfillment, due to the external world of objects, is referred as Pleasure. ‘Oh, it is a Pleasure to see you’ or ‘it is a Pleasure to have this food’. So Pleasure is basically a santhushti, a certain amount of santhushti for the senses. indriya santhushti, indriyanaam santhushti : a fulfillment for sense organs. Uh?

Next comes what is called Happiness. Happiness is manasaha santhushti. Mind as the sixth sense organ, feeling a, having a feeling of fulfillment – call it as Happiness. So when I am seeking something, some uh, promotion or wanting to go somewhere or achieving some desirable results, the mind agitated over that – ‘whether I get it or not, get it or not’ – mind is constantly feeling insecure, uncertain and that uncertainty or insecurity is removed, so at that stage the mind feels you know, it has become fulfilled. manasaha santhushti – that is what is called Happiness. sukam. That is the sukam.

Now comes the third one, which is called shanti. shanti is also joy only, but we do not consider in the same level as uh, what you call Pleasure or in the form of Happiness. shanti is at the level of the intellect – you can say to some extent. Because there the questioning intellect is absent – ‘why’, ‘when’, ‘why not’, ‘how’. Then that doubting intellect, intellect which has the inquisitiveness, when that is taken care, shanti : peace.

Most people go up to that point only and come back. ashaantasya kutah sukham, Bhagavan Krishna also asks this question. Uh? naasti buddhih ayuktasya na'chaayuktasya bhaavanaa | na ch'aabhaavayatah shaantih ashaantasya kutah sukham (Gita: ch 2 vs 66)

He asks the question, naasti buddhih ayuktasya : a person who does not have self-integrity there is no real knowledge will take place. naasti buddhir ayuktasya na'chaayuktasya bhaavanaa : a man who has got self-integrated, such a person does not really meditate also, cannot. Mind has become so restless.

Intellect has lot of doubts there. na ch'aabhaavayatah shaantih | abhaavayatah na shaantih : a person who does not know how to quiet-en himself, there cannot be any peace. ashaantasya kutah sukham : how can a person who is not peaceful be happy?

So the peacefulness is in the form of intellectual quietude, intellect becoming quiet. It does not have any more inquisitiveness, doubt. So most people go to the level of

intellectually understanding things. shanti : I understood, no more doubt, restlessness is not there. shanti, shanti, shanti.

When I misunderstand you and we fight, go on fighting and suddenly we said, ‘ok, truce’; or we sit down and try to understand each other, shanti : peace. These three are the very well known experiences of joy or experiences of certain pleasure or experiences of peace.

Now bliss is more than this. That is why suka tarae it is given there. It is in the superlative – why it is so? Because it is, it is not a pleasure of the senses. It is not a mere emotional achievement, mental contentment or an intellectual achievement. In this deep sleep state, these three faculties apparently doesn’t seek anything. Not seeking does not by itself means contentment. Because they only wake up, again it starts.

So when the pleasure for the senses, happiness for the mind, peace for the intellect are not sought after, an apparent idea that they are quiet, takes place. Like for example, if I want to eat something – uh, I am hungry – my body is seeking some food. But food is not available and tiredness, I go to sleep. In that sleep, deep sleep I really have not overcome that hunger. Hunger is not noticed.

Similarly I am emotionally very agitated. And with that agitation I go to sleep. That problem of that mind is not yet fulfilled. Intellectually I am restless and doubtful. And when I go to sleep, that is not removed but that inquisitiveness is suspended for a while. The mind’s agitation is suspended for a while. That ahankara and thirst which is causing problem is suspended for a while. This suspension of seeking does not mean fulfillment.

So what you experience in this state of sleep is not a fulfillment. It is only a suspension of activities. So when you say that is bliss, you are really not understanding what is the nature of ananda. sukena maya suktam na kinchida veditam : I slept very well, but that does not mean there is real ananda there. Because the very word, a-nandadi means that which is forever joyful, forever pleasurable, forever peaceful.

That is why he says, nityae, immeditately follows that nityae – it is not for temporary period of time you have that pleasure or the happiness or that mere satisfaction of the intellect. nityae parae : that Supreme it is indeed. It is not a mere suspension of the seeking from the sense organs, mind or the intellect.

So what is considered as real bliss, of awareness or bliss of realization is where this demanding senses, unfulfilled mind, and dissatisfied or restless intellect are overcome and seen to be my false nature, they are not true – they are not true, their demands are not true. When they are not true and their demands are not true, I have no reason to pursue them – no need to pursue them.

It is worry, it is like worrying about my shadow, where it is falling. It is falling in a ditch (laughing), why are you worried about your shadow whether it is falling; you just keep

walking you know, your shadow will follow – ‘oh it is getting into the water, I think it will get wet’!

Though maya is like that of the shadow, it will just follow you, but your attention is not on that. Whether it is going into the gutter or going into the stone, or going anywhere, or somebody walking over that. ‘Oh, my god, hey what dare you!’ – ‘What?’ – ‘Walking over my shadow?’ (laughs) It may look very funny to you, that is what we actually do.

maya and chaya, you know? maya is like a chaya only. Just, it is just there.

Bhagavan therefore, here Shankaracharya says, he who understood this is trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam only : mere imagination there. So when one overcomes this continuous pursuit of fulfilling the senses, or trying to satisfy the mind or trying to keep your intellect peaceful by adding more and more information to the intellect whenever it is asking questions, you don’t get ananda.

You get one of those things – maybe pleasure, maybe some happiness, maybe some peace – but not bliss. Bliss is a far apart from all these things. nityae parae nirmalae sukatharae yasya dridaa mathihi : one who is firmly abiding in that aanand – (chants) aanandam brahmae divya jaanaat : he who has recognized aanandam is Brahman. He doesn’t come back to this teacher any more.

Up till that he will come back. Once the student doesn’t come back, the teacher knows, ‘that’s it’, (laughs) ‘I have done my work’. Just like the mother who has given her daughter for marriage, what does she wish? Uh? ‘Let her not come back.’ (laughs)

Now-a-days the problem is everyday they call, ‘how are you now-a-days?’ When you came into this country, how often your mother called you or you called your mother? Now-a-days every moment, ‘what are you doing? what are you doing?’

One lady came to me and said, ‘I think my daughter is not happy with her new place, in–law’s place’. ‘Why are you saying?’ ‘You know, she is very unhappy and I don’t think they are treating her well’ ‘How do you know?’ ‘I call her everyday’ ‘Stop that. First stop that’ Because when you came here, your mother called you everyday?

Now because of your cell phone is available, everyday you call – because you have the family plan – you can call your daughter anytime, any number of time, any number of hours (laughs).

Any, any relationship there will be ups and downs. And now children also – ‘ouuuuu’ – we were running around and on the dirt and everything, we had cough, we had this, we had that. uh, chaltaahai, growing boy. Now, the parents also don’t have any other work, the children also confined to one place, constantly watching – ‘what is he doing, what is he, what is he, what is he, what is he doing?’ So when our mind is preoccupied with one thing, any small change also makes big difference. I told her, you don’t call; call her only once in ten days.

After two months she came. ‘She is very happy now. It is alright’. (laughs) No need to call everyday. If you are growing a plant, outside in your backyard, every half an hour, you go and, ‘is it growing? Is it growing?’ – I think. It is not growing. It won’t know, you will not even see when it is growing. You put it there, after two, three weeks go and ‘ah… it has grown’. It ‘is’ growing. Every moment it is growing. But when you see it once in a while, you understand, enjoy that. (Instead) you constantly watching like a Scientist, ‘is it growing’? You will be very dissatisfied, very disappointed. Why? It doesn’t grow in the speed you want. Uh?

So the joys, I mean sorry the pleasure of the senses or the, what you call as the happiness in the mind or peace in the intellect, that is what we pursue – constantly. Our attention is not in aananda. Our attention is one of the mere temporary things about pleasure or happiness or the peace of the intellect. And therefore our whole life is spent only in these things.

Here, Shankaracharya says, he whose mind has recognized that sukatharae parae nirmalae aatma suke dridaa mathihi yasya : such a person is mama guru, chandaalo stuta dukvijostu : let him be a chandaala, let him be a brahmana. Doesn’t matter to me.

So in this Verse, the clear understanding is brahmaanandam : the real Brahman is aanandam only. It is chinmaatra vistaaritam : it is the whole world is nothing but the spread of consciousness, and any variety that I see in this world is maya avidyaya asesham kalpidam, trigunaya maiya avidyaya : this ignorance using the three gunaas as the means, creating this variety of this world, because of which is the sense organs are seeking pleasures, mind is seeking happiness, intellect is seeking its own satisfaction, acceptance; and such a, that is a pursuit, is not there in the mind of a muni who is seeking the Ultimate Bliss – sukatharae parae nirmalae yasya mathihi | dridaa mathihi. And such is the nature of my guru; let him be a chandaala, let him be anybody. So this is the, the second Verse where the aham brahmaasmi idea is given.

Next comes the, the next important – I think it is tat tvam asi vaakya, right? Hm! tat tvam asi from Chaandyogya Upanishad. We will see tomorrow.

(sings closing prayer)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om |*4

END of Session #3 of #6

SESSION #4

Swamiji:

OU…MOU…M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks - Verse Three

(chants first verse, the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeats chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeats chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi(group repeats chant)

kimprohi gacha gacheti ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number two, the prologue)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja aanandaa vabodaam bhudau(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number one)jaagrathswapnasushuptishu sputathara yaa samviduchchrumbate(group repeats chant)

yaa brahmaadi pipeelikaantatanushu protaa jagadsaakshini |(group repeats chant)

seivaaham na cha drishyavastvati dridaprajnaabi yasyaasta che(group repeats chant)

chchandaalosthu sa thu dvikjosthu gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number two )brahmaivaahamidam jagatsa sakalam chinmaatra vistaaritam(group repeats chant)

sarvam chae tadvavityaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam |(group repeats chant)

ittam yascha dridaa matihi sukatharae nityae parae nirmalae(group repeats chant)

chandaalo stuta dukvijostu gururit yesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

Talks – Verse Three

In both these verses, dridaa matihi, dridaprajna – dridaa matihi means a firm understanding and dridaprajna (means) firm awareness. How does this person get such a firm understanding? In any knowledge the greatness of the knowledge lies in the inspiration given by the Teacher.

A person who tries to understand something on his or her own through one’s own study or listening is at one level it is no doubt a great uh, initiative. But if such a person gets a correct Teacher, then such a person is sure to learn this knowledge with greater depth.

Teacher of spiritual nature not only gives the insight into this very subject matter, but helps the student to go all the way to the state of realization – indirectly and directly. But many people say no teacher is required. On your own you think. Our own mind is so incapable, and prone to habits and its own methods and its own vices. We lose inspiration on the way and we get distracted here and there.

So a continuous guidance of the Teacher is required. But the Teacher does not say, ‘I will carry you on my back’. He gives constant – it is like a train, keeps moving because of the constant input of the fuel. So also a constant input from the Teacher as one proceeds in one’s life understanding different levels of knowledge.

At no point of time a guru should be given up. ‘Oh, I have learnt enough, there is now no need for anymore guru for me’. (Thinking so is) that is when one starts falling down.

So here also, in the next verse the importance of the constant inspiration from the guru. And why it is necessary? Because as I said we are prone to habits and we very likely go back to what we have been, uh, unless the Teacher constantly nudge us, ‘no, don’t come back, don’t come down’ – because falling down is very easy. Going up is troublesome.

When you are going in a car, when you are coming down a hill all that you have to do is remove the, you remove your leg from or feet from the accelerator as well as from the break. In fact you must be more careful about keeping your leg, I mean feet on the break more than accelerator. Uh? Coming down is very easy.

See, that is the reason why the great Mahatmas, once they have achieved the highest state of enlightenment or realization to come down to the level of the common man and to lift them is a, called ‘compassion’. Whereas a saadak, when he starts identifying with the earlier, and given up values or given up desires, again identifying with that negative traits of his, that is called ‘passion’. Only one difference is there.

Yet, great enlightened Masters, when they, great enlightened Masters, when they live with the people as though they are part of others – it is out of compassion. While we, because we cannot give up our old habits, we again and again fall back to our own old nature – that is called passion. Difference between ‘compassion’ and ‘passion’ is surely determined by knowledge. The possibility of falling back is so much there.

So until one reaches the real understanding of one’s higher nature, falling back is very, very likely. So the Teacher always say, never come down, keep moving up only. And that is the reason why Bhagavan Shankaracharya very precisely He said, brahma satyam jagan vidyaa. Until you understand brahma satyam iti : the Absolute Truth is Brahman. Until you realize that jagadaha nityaatvam : the nature of the world, which is illusory will not be realized by you.

Again and again the world will appear to be real, that is the illusion will keep coming back. This is what is referred as maya. The nityaatvam of the world, is not merely a theory or a mere knowledge or information provided by the Teacher. It would become one’s own experience. Until then, one cannot be sure that one cannot fall back into the world.

Therefore in the next verse we read, it says,

( chants verse number three )shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam(group repeats chant)

nischitya vaacha guroh -(group repeats chant)

nityam brahma nirantharam bimirshathaa(group repeats chant)

nirvyaaja shaantaatmana |(group repeats chant)

bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa(group repeats chant)

samvinmayae paavakae (group repeats chant)

praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur -(group repeats chant)

ityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

(chants with group joining)shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam nischitya vaacha guroh -nityam brahma nirantharam bimirshaathaa nirvyaaja shaantaatmana |bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahatha samvinmayae paavakae praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur-ityesha maneesha mama ||

Last line is changed now you see. Earlier he says, chandaalo stuta dukvijostu. But last word, few words, maneesha mama, that is there – ‘my conviction’, that is there. What is that He says, here the mahaavaakya that is taken is upadesham, that is tat tvam asi.

First one was prajnaanam brahma – lakshanam, that is that Brahman is the nature of Consciousness. Second it is in the form of anusandaan. That is one comes to realize this this ayam from the, uh – actually in this particular context it is brahmaivaahamidam, aham brahma asmi – anubhava.

But in the third verse He says, a constant inspiration from the Teacher is required. Without that it is not possible for one to keep oneself going. satsangatve nissangatvam nissangatve nirmohatvam nirmohatve nischalatattvam nischalatattve jeevanmuktih (Bhaja Govindam Verse 9 – Adi Shankaracharya). Now you see, what does the Teacher say?

You, I mean in the previous verse what we have seen? sarvam cha etadvavityaya trigunaya maya kalpidam ashesham : all this other than that Supreme expansion of Consciousness, everything else that I see as variety (is) none other than my own mental

creation due to ignorance. What you create out of ignorance can never stay for a long time? Hm?

Human creation, even material things you see – material things like table and the chair and then buildings, and then compared to that hills – how long they stay? Compared to the HUGE trees you see, thousands of years they stand. What about human being? Whatever they create – ‘Made in China’? How long they (laughs) stay? Maybe, one year, two year, five year, ten years? Maybe a nice building well built in a stone – maybe hundred, five hundred, six hundred years.

akilam vishvam nashvara meva : entire world is subject to destruction. So human created world, for sure. Even as you are looking at it, it will destroy itself. The entire Creation is a constant change and that is called shaashvat : is constant. Uh? shva in samskrit means ‘tomorrow’.

a-shva means, ‘not tomorrow’. Meaning it doesn’t disappear tomorrow – it is there. a-shva is really means, you know in the fifteenth chapter (of the Bhagavad Gita) you know, you see. What is that, uh? What is (that)? ashvattaa. ashvatta – the tree is referred there. prakriti is referred as ashvatta there.

So a-shva is not there tomorrow. Meaning, it changes its nature. shaashvat means the opposite of that – constant, eternally. Eternally what? nashvara meva : the world is permanently in a state of constant flux. Gurudev used to say – the Einsteinian world of time and space, which is you know in a constant flux.

shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam : now you may not see it that way. We may think that it there all the time. Just like this body also we think, ah, everybody would die but I will stay (laughs). So long as you think that you will ever exist, there will be constant arrogance. You know, if you think what you created or what you are doing is going to stay forever, that creates attachment, pride, arrogance and therefore one does not become eligible for spiritual realization.

So long as one arrogates oneself, ‘I am the best’, ‘I, what I created is going to stay forever’, ‘I will stay forever’ – that is the case with Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaaksha, Ravana and Kamsa, all these people. They never accepted the fact that they will become absent at some point of time. Uh?

So shashvanashvan, nischitya vaacha guroh – guroh vaacha : by the words of the Teacher, nischitya : having become made clear in his own mind.

That is why it is said in the, in the Upanishads also, shreyascha preyascha manushya medaha kowsamparitya vivinakti deeraha shreyohi dheeropi preyasohvranitae preyo manto yogakshemaapranitae :

Two things that come to us in our life – is what is temporary, Pleasurable and what is Good, which is eternal. What is referred as temporary and mere Pleasure is called

preyas, including the car. preyas, you know. So that is temporary but gives you a little Pleasure.

But what is permanent which is eternally joyful? It is shreyas. But people usually choose the preyas. For, for shreyas one has to grow up to experience it. Whereas for preyas, wherever you are temporary Pleasure will come looking for you. So what comes to you as joy is preyas. What you go on working and seeking, that is shreyas.

So shreyohi dheeropi preyasohvranitae – a dheeraha, a man of knowledge and discrimination, he chooses shreyas over preyas, he chooses Good over Pleasure because he understands that, that is the Permanent one. preyo manto : a man of delusion, dull-witted, he chooses preyas, Pleasure. For what? yogakshemaapranitae : he chooses due to his anxiety over yoga and kshema. Wanting to achieve things very quickly and wanting to protect what he already has got - yoga and kshema.

Bhagavan (Krishna) therefore he said no, ananyas chintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate theshan nityabhiyuktaanaam yoga-kshemam ahamvahaami (Gita chap.9 ver.22). (ahamvahaami) – I will take care of it. So shreyaha is the permanent and happiness. Guruji used to say that is called paramaanand. ‘P-e-r-a-m-a-n-e-n-t’ is called paramaanand (laughs).

So vaachoh, guroh vaachaa nischitya. This, uh tat tvam asi vaakya comes from Chandogya Upanishad – where the Teacher in fact, instructs his student, his own son, Shvetaketu.

He says, ‘you understand one thing Shvetaketu. That this whole world is of made of one essence only – soumya ekaenamrit pindena sarvam vrinmayam, which have eh, jnaatam bhavati.

yatah soumya ekaenamrit pindena sarvam vrinmayam jnaatam bhavati vaachaarambanam vikaaraamanadoyam vrittika ityeya satyam.

The whole world is none other than one essence. Just like all the pots are made of the same, clay only. yatah ekeh soumya ekena mritpandena : by one clay alone, sarvam vrinmayam : all that is made of mud, jnaatam bhavati : you will come to know.

Let us say I learn about the Metallurgy, the quality of metal in terms of the, whether it is iron, steel, aluminium, gold – I come to know. Once I know the quality or the nature of a metal, whichever part of the world I go, does it change? Does it change? Iron will behave like iron only, gold will behave like gold only, steel will behave like steel only. It doesn’t change.

China steel behaves different from the Indian steel? No. Then it is not the steel, it is something else then. So once I know the character and quality of a thing, whichever part of the world I go, its nature is the same. In the same way, if I understand the nature

of a thing, I will understand the nature of all the things created by mud – or the nature of the mud is the same, whether it is in this shape or any other shape.

sarvam vrinmayam jnaatam bhavati : so what you should understand is, that vritika ityeya satyam : even though it appears to be different, the nature of it is mud only. Even if you paint it differently, color it, but nature of that is mud.

In the same way, he says, all things that are there in this world are of the same nature of reality but what is being seen other than the reality is vaachaa rambanam vikaaronaamadeyam : there are only words. Just like a plate or a ladle or a pot, made of mud are given the name ladle, pot or a plate, not as the nature of the mud – that is not the nature of the mud.

The pot is not the nature of the mud. The ladle is not the nature of the mud. The plate is not the nature of mud. It is the mud that is made to appear in a particular form, for which we have given a name. That form that is given a name, it is called vaachaarambanam : mere word description.

What is the nature of that? vikaaronaamadeyam; that vikaara : the modification of the mud, appearing to be in a particular form, vikaara, is naamadeyam : that is given a particular name – that is all. So only the change of form is given a name. So the name that is given to a form is not the truth. The truth is the mud.

In the same way, the entire world that you see as variety, are nothing but forms given names. The reality of it, when you understand that – you realize you are that, tat tvam asi, Shvetaketu’.

So I look different from you, you look different from another, a man looks different from the animal, animal appears to be different from a bird, bird appears to be different from a tree, tree appears different from a stone. All these things are vikaaronaamadeyam : different names given to various forms.

You go to a sweet shop and ask that sweet shop owner, ‘give me sweet’. What does he do? He looks at you top to down – ‘where have you come from? Which part of the universe you are come from?’ Why? The entire thing is sweet only. What else it is there? The entire shop is full of sweet.

If you go and ask him, ‘please give me some sweet’. What will he say? ‘Take anything, everything is sweet only’. ‘Give me something which is made of sugar’. But why varieties? vaachaarambanam vikaaronaamadeyam (laughs) : it is nothing other than various forms given various names.

rasagolla you call, rasmalai you call. And whatever rasmalai, whatever name or different thing made of ‘milk and sugar’, ‘milk and sugar’. You go to a you know, person making various God forms in marble, let us say. You can go to Rajasthan, you know. They have lot of such shops, full of marble statues.

Go to one of the shops – (and say) ‘give me something in marble’. ‘What thing?’ (laughs) – he will ask. ‘What is that you want? Everything is marble only. You tell me the name of the form then I will give you’. Because all things that are there, whether it is a little small rat that he made for the Ganesha or the HUGE form of vishwarupa of the Lord Vishnu. Everything is made of, same marble.

So in the same way, the entire world is as such it is said chinmaatra vistaaritam. Then variety how did I see? avidyaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam. So you understand the variety is made up of the prakriti maya. But the Reality is only one – what we saw yesterday as the prakriti and purusha.

Therefore the Teacher says, clearly understand one thing – that all varieties are modification of speech. For a small child which has not yet started talking, all things when there is no name appearing in their, in the mind, it is all the same.

Only when we start instructing, ‘this is table’, ‘that is chair’, the idea of a chair of this particular shape, a table of this particular shape, that concept start coming into the mind of the child. ‘This shape means chair’, ‘this shape means table’, ‘this shape means sofa’, ‘this shape means father’ (laughs), ‘this shape means mother’.

So that is why when you go near, ‘which shape is this? (laughs) I have not seen this shape before. This form I have not seen.’ ‘ahhh’ (imitates child scream), he cries. Because I (the child) can’t understand what it is. ‘This is Uncle.’ ‘Oh, oh, new name – ‘Uncle’, alright’.

So, another person you call, who is he? He doesn’t know. Same person has to stand in front of him. ‘Uncle’. That is also Uncle! Now – confusion. Two Uncles you know, what is this? This is also Uncle, that is also Uncle (laughs).

So understand the mind of the child where it tries to register that information. But what is the distinction? So our idea of one name given to one thing and another name given to another, we only go by the distinctions that are there.

If the twins are there, we look for difference, is it not? Otherwise how will you know them? ‘Maadhu-Sethu’ – let us say? Who is Maadhu, who is Sethu? Even mothers will get confused sometimes. There must be some distinction, will be there. Then only you can see the difference, understand the difference and refer them separately. So the mind is constantly dissecting the world. Why, based on what? Form (which is) given a name.

So entire creation is therefore as I said, vishvam vivida pratyegamyam : entire world is nothing but modification of various thoughts. So here, what is the nature of this the form and the name? shashvanashvarameva : a constant change, is the nature of this world. akilam vishvam : the entire world is that, iti guroh vaacha nischitya : because it is

not my own personal experience, limited experience, I cannot see the constant destruction that is going on.

So therefore even in our own body, look at it. You may think the body that you have right now is the same body that you had some fifteen years back, twenty years back – totally wrong. Every seven days your body goes through a change. Uh? Every seven years it is said entire body changes. Every cell of your body has changed. But you may not notice that.

Only when you look at the old, your, you know, marriage photographs (takes a deep breath out) – before marriage, see, how brilliant, attractive, smart I was. Now what happened? Same, (but) what happened? Dilapidated, tired, all hair gone, all tooth gone. Eh, eh. So your own form within seven years goes hundred percent change. Hm? If you just observe that you will realize; that everything is changing. You may think that ‘I am the same person’. You are not the same person. At least the physical body, it is not the same.

So shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam nischitya vaacha guro-h – what is then real? nityam brahma nirantharam. nityam brahma : the Self, the awareness, the consciousness alone is nityam and, another word is what? nir-antharam : antharam means difference. nir-antharam : no difference at all.

kaalasya antharam darshayati tasmmaat kaalandar iti yuchate. What is calendar? kaalasya antharam darshayati : that is called Calendar – showing the difference in time or day, that is called Calendar. antharam, means difference. nirantharam : no difference at all, never changes.

bimirshathaa : by constant contemplation. nirvyaaja shaantaatmana : in that quiet peaceful mind, a person who understands this. The Brahman is the only one which is nirantharam, which is non-different, never changes and that is why, Shankaracharya says, satyam, what is that, brahma satyam. brahma satyam idi jnaatva eva jagataha nityaatvam bijaanaati : only when knowing the nature of Brahman as satyam, one comes to know the illusory nature of the world. Do not put the cart before the horse.

World is illusion. Then what is Truth? That I don’t know (laughs). Then? The world, you just declared the world as illusion. Before understanding the nature of the Truth, the world, the maya is much, much powerful than what you think. You reject maya, it will come hundred percent with greater force. It is like take a rubber ball and push it under the water. You know what happens? You relax for a moment, it will shoot on the top. Right? It will go so, because the pressure in the water is added pressure to that. You put the rubber under the water, it will, once you release it comes with a greater speed.

In the same way, maya when it is suppressed, without knowing Brahman one will be devastated. One will be really destroyed. maya is that powerful. So that is why, maya metaam tarantite, who? Who will really can overcome this maya? Who? No – what does

He say in the beginning? maya metaam tarantite maameva ye prapadyante : he who surrenders to ME alone can over come maya. Meaning, surrenders to me is surrendering to the Truth.

Understanding the Truth, then maya one can overcome. Otherwise mama maya duratyaya : my maya is extremely powerful. So do not therefore play with it. Before rejecting maya one should know what is the reality. At least theoretically one should know. Hold on to that Truth. That is why vaacha guroh nischitya : because at this moment, I do not have any understanding.

Bhagavan Krishna also says,****Gita? go to the Teacher tad vidhi prani paadena pari prashnena sevaya upadekshanti tek jnaanam jnaani nast tat darshanaha : go and surrender first - surrender to the Teacher or surrender to the Knowledge or surrender to the Lord. Peculiar thing is unless you surrender to the Teacher, you cannot surrender to the Lord. Unless you surrender to the Knowledge, you don’t surrender to the Lord. Bhagavan (Krishna) after telling all these things, finally only He says, ‘surrender to Me’ – is it not? Why don’t He say in the beginning itself? Why seven-hundred verses are necessary for that? sarva dharmaan parityajya maamekam sharanam vraja.

What did he (Arjuna) ask? Please teach me dharma. Uh, I am confused about dharma. Why should he say that, ‘ok, I’ll tell you dharma’ and ALL the things He says, He says finally ‘forget about all dharma, surrender to Me’. He could have told this before. Why wasted so much time? We could have had only one chapter (laughs). Why eighteen chapter is necessary to tell the final one? When you are climbing the ladder, what takes you to the final one is the final step. Why not we just go the final step? That is not correct.

So to that surrender – sampathi, it is called, I mean prabathi is what (it) is called. That prabathi or surrender cannot happen, unless you surrender to the Knowledge. Uh? He says therefore, nahi jnaanena sadrisham pavithram mihavidyathe in fourth chapter.

tatvayam yoga samsidhaha, tatvayam yoga samsidhaha - kaalena atmanae vihidate : you will come to know in due course of time you will surrender to that Knowledge. You don’t surrender to the Knowledge, unless you surrender to the Teacher. sarvam–render idi, surr-under idi – surrender. So put yourself under the influence of the Knowledge, under the influence of the Teacher.

So therefore He says that go and fall flat at the feet of the Teacher. Ask questions, do seva. Then you will come to know what it is. So vaacha, guroh vaacha nischitya. By knowing this Truth from the words of the Teacher, because the Student goes there with great kind of, a lamentation – ‘I am caught in this world, I am being drowned in this world, I am being burnt by this ignorance. Please help me.’

And the Teacher says, ‘wait. Don’t worry about it. Everything will happen slowly’, because Student wants everything to be happened quickly. Because he is coming from the state of, I mean his background is karma. And karma is, in the theory of karma

or in the Vedic rituals, very clearly (it is) given – this is the karma and this is a result. If you do this, you will get this. You do this, you will get this. You do this, you will get this.

So coming from that background he is anxious about, ‘if I surrender and ask you this question and if you teach, will it happen?’ Teacher says, ‘wait’ (laughs). In Knowledge it doesn’t work that way. It is not like karma, (where) you do it and it will happen. It will not be like that. You should grow for your (that is, the result of) that to happen. It is not an action which you perform the result of which will come later. You are the doer and you yourself is the result.

In action the actor is different from the result of action. Uh? But here in Knowledge, the actor himself becomes the result of that action. Knowledge works in that way. Is it not true? The one who is learning himself is the result of that knowledge. Not the other way around – an action producing result. That being so, the Teacher should say, ‘wait. You have to grow to enjoy that result’. And that growth itself is the result of the Knowledge.

If you stopped growing, that means you have stopped learning. Or if you have stopped learning, you will stop growing. So therefore, here the Knowledge does not work in the way the karma works. And second thing is, in the case of action, the result comes and then afterwards it disappears. Again you have to do another action.

Like I eat a food, uh, then the result is satisfaction – santhushti; hunger is gone. How long? After sometime again I have to eat. Is it that, now I have decided, I should eat this food forever (laughs). You enjoy the food and another six hours, again the pangs will start.

Knowledge on the other hand, does not leave you – high end drive. It takes you to another level and the result of the Knowledge is therefore not temporary. One level of understanding to another level when you move, the previous level of misunderstanding is gone forever. You will not go back to it.

Unless you have not really have grown up, you have only have an assumption that you have grown up. Then you will fall back again. Passion for the other things will again come back. So the constant growth is the nature of Knowledge. So therefore the Teacher is taking enough time to grow, make the Student grow. That is why Bhagavan Krishna goes through elaborately ALL that and finally He says, ‘give up everything and surrender to Me’.

So nischitya vaacha guroh - nityam brahma nirantharam bimirshaathaa nirvyaaja shaantaatmana. nirvyaaja : agitationless, shaantaatmana : with the quiet mind, He has recognized that. bimirshathaa, bimarshanam is to contemplate, reflect – through reflection, contemplation, nirvyaaja : agitationless, shaantaatmana nischitya.

Now having thus understood that the constant change is the nature of the world and Brahman alone is the eternal Truth, now how does he face the world? He also has to live like anyone of us. So in this context only, the concept of praarabdha comes.

There are difference of opinion in the case of scholars whether the realized soul has praarabdha or not. Uh? So why not we ask the enlightened soul itself? So they decided to go and ask, to an enlightened soul – ‘is there praarabdha for you?’ He will say, ‘irrelevant question’ (laughs).

See, the scholars, we always have a speculation about things – ‘I think an enlightened soul, uh, has praarabdha. (It) cannot go away. Because the product of the praarabdha is the body. Therefore so long as the body is there, praarabdha should be there’. Other people would say, ‘how can there be praarabdha for a realized soul? He has become one with the Self, one with the Lord and Lord does not have praarabdha. Why not we go and ask him?’

You go and ask him – like Buddha will keep quiet. He will not say, give an answer itself. You go to another, like Gurudev or anybody who ask, whose, you know, vocal about every thought on every opinion that He has, (He would say) ‘praarabdha, aiki nahin hain’ : irrelevant question, question itself is invalid. Why should I give an answer for that?

So why it is irrelevant? See here, bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathasamvinmayae paavakae – the word samvid came before also, (in) the first verse. samvid : consciousness, is here referred as the fire. samvid maya : of the nature of pure consciousness, full of that, which is paavaka. Uh – paavaka means that which is in the form of, not ‘paavakaa’, don’t go back to that ‘paavakaa’ thing. paavaka means ‘fire’.

In the fire – agnou, samvid agnou : in the fire of consciousness, pradahathaa. dahathaa means ‘burnt’; completely burnt. What is burnt? bhutam baavi cha dushkritam. dushkritam : uh, sinful actions. dush-kritam, kritam means ‘done’. dushkritam : done wrongly, all the wrong actions, when performed, bhutam : in the past, bhaavitam : that which will be performed in the future.

That maybe aagaami : that may become, be done by an individual in the future or what was already done in the past. So sanchitam and aagaami, which is technically known as whatever actions done in the past which has not become a result now, samvid, I mean you call sanchitam and what are those actions which may be done by an individual till the death of the body after enlightenment is called aagaaami. So actions done in the past or will be done in the future, both of them pradahathaa.

bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae : what is left behind is presently what is there. Past is destroyed and future is destroyed. What is present is, present. ‘Present’ means what is now being experienced. What is being experienced is through this body whatever you are presently going through. Up till the end of this body, that is called praarabdhaa.

In one place Shankaracharya says – in Vivekachoodaamani – that praarabdhaa is like arrow which is already shot, which is taken out of the quiver and is shot. So that arrow is already on the way to reach its target. Once you have shot an arrow, you cannot change its direction. It has to go and hit its target.

In the same way, praarabdhaa is that which has already began with your body. Or your body began with your praarabdh(aa). Whatever experience you have to go through this, in this body cannot be avoided. Hm? In this, there are lot of opinions.

I happened to meet one you know, I don’t from the names, ok – one Mahatma was there in India and He was not speaking in English. And He was speaking his native language. And there was one another person who translated everything into English. And Mahatma passed away. This individual’s, himself is writing books and all. I happened to meet him. Because he had lived with the Mahatma I thought that I can clarity certain things with him. (So I) went to him.

On the topic of praarabdhaa, we had great difference of opinion. And whenever I tried to quote the scriptures, he was not accepting at all. He said, ‘don’t quote any scriptures, I am talking based upon my understanding from this Mahatma’. I said that is acceptable. Because if you have praaptha vaakya, then what else is necessary. In his what you call opinion the idea of praarabdhaa or purushaarthaa is only, is only a mental illusion.

He says, so long as you think that you have purushaarthaa (or) so long as you think that you have a self-will, you will never come out of praarabdhaa – which is a very interesting observation. Uh? So long as you think you can change anything in this world, you are caught in the bondage. Accept that you cannot change anything; then you become free – which is a very uh, mind blowing idea.

Because according to Gurudev, our purushaarthaa is (or) our self-well is the one which makes us even do saadhanaa. Because somebody says, ‘why should I do any saadhanaa? Whatever has to happen it will happen’. Then (that) person would not take to any meditation, or puja or self-study – swaadhyaya, bhajanam or you know, meditation – dyaanam, not, none of them it will, he will do (saying), ‘why, why should I do?’

These are all prayathnaas, is it not? prayathnaa for what? To come out of your own confusion or ignorance. So I told this person. He was a very elderly gentleman, eighty plus (of age). I said, see this teaching is correct for an advanced seeker. But if you say this to a common man, he will give up all sadhanaas. And He said, can the Truth be different for a saadhak and for realized person? And just, that too contradictory.

Will you tell a seeker contradictory to what is the Truth? So but, then I said, that requires maturity. As one performs his saadhanaa, he will come to know that praarabdhaa cannot be avoided. But if you tell him in the beginning itself, then he will

never have the interest to do any saadhanaa, which is dangerous to that person? Uh? Is it not?

The great journey of saadhanaa itself is the greatest saadhanaa. Trying to overcome one’s own imperfections with one’s own self-effort is the one which gives inspiration. If that itself you take it away, that person will have no interest to do anything.

And secondly I asked him, ‘then what is the difference between a human-being and an animal?’ Animals do not take their own life in their hands, to change anything. They live by instincts. They live by whatever is happening in this, and then instinctively they react. And that to my utter surprise he said, animals are far better advanced than human-beings (laughs), because they don’t fight with their praarabhdaa – which is really very discouraging to me he said that. It is too bad, too bad to conclude that way.

So but these Masters are there, they tell so differently. So that is why if you go and ask a praarabhdhaa, what is praarabhdhaa or what is a, one Mahatma will say one thing, another Mahatma will say something else. But here, Bhagavan Shankaracharya what does He say? To a person who has burnt his, what you call uh, sanchitam and aagaami, to him surrender to praarabhdhaa is so spontaneous in nature.

bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae, then praarabhdaaya samarpitham. If you have not given up, or if you have not burnt your sanchita or aagaami in the fire of Knowledge, praarabhda samarpanam will not take place – you will not surrender to Lord.

So freewill, surrendering freewill for whom? That is the question. To a man, to a person who does not accept that what has been done in the past, all the vaasanaas that are still presently uh, nudging constantly for, in him to do this or that – is not given up. And the one who is not have the vision to not to anymore pursue his desires in the future also – for him surrendering to the praarabhdha is not possible.

When Bhagavan (Krishna) says, sarva dharmaan parityajya : give up all your wishes, give up all your desires, then you surrender. Holding on to what I want, ‘I wish this, I wish that’ or if you think of that, ‘I want this, I want this’ and then surrender, that is not going to happen. Don’t worry about it.

Have you given up your sanchitam and aagaami in the fire of Knowledge? That is why Mahatmas won’t answer that question. Because the question is irrelevant for a common man. He will say that, that question I cannot answer because it is irrelevant. You come up to this level, then you will know it. Uh? sanchitam and aagaami – whatever be the vaasanaas and desires that you have in your mind, have you burnt it in the Knowledge? Have you? Have you burnt your individuality, ego there?

That is why Ramana Maharishi would ask if somebody asks, ‘is there praarabhdhaa?’ He will say, who is asking this question? If that individual who is asking

the ego is still present, then whatever answer I give, he will not accept. Because the ego will ask – why, how, when, what?

So sanchitam, all the desires that vaasanaas that you have, to enjoy everything, has it been given, given up by you? And whatever that is yet to come in the future, are you ready to face them, whatever it comes, without reacting to them? Are you ready? Then, your praarabhdhaa is gone. In what way? You don’t react to it.

praarabhdaaya samarpitham; swa-vapuhur : one’s own self, meaning the body, etc. vapu is ‘body’, vapus. His body is thereafter surrendered to the praarabdhaa to work. Swami Tapovanam, when Gurudev asked him, when he was sick, He said ‘why not you, Guru, why not I take you to the, Delhi and then cure. We would like to have you because we cannot want to lose you.’ He only smiled, ‘Chinmaya what have you learnt? (laughs)This body is on its way to go home. And the Lord yama has been waiting for a too long a time. Having postponing it, or once it is a time to go, there should not be any struggle in that? Smilingly, laughingly, face’. That is what it is being instructed to a sanyaasi.

Don’t fight with your praarabhdhaa. samarpanam. Because the work is over, and the end has come naturally, joyfully you should go. Why fight? For what sake, for whose sake I should stay on. So that was the maturity. Any fighting against praarabhdhaa means, you have a desire – desire to live on, desire to engage, desire to enjoy.

So if you have given up your sanchitaa and aagaami, then praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur : this surrender to this praarabhdhaa will easily take place. That is He says, a person who has given up his sanchitaa and aagaami and has surrendered to praarabhdhaa, he is my guru, iti yesha maneesha mama : that is my firm conviction.

Now how do you know, how you have surrendered to praarabhdhaa. What is the test? Huh? See I will tell you, all of them are interconnected. When a person has surrendered to praarabhdhaa, does not mean that he has become weak. Uh? Do not consider that, ‘ok, good for nothing, eh, (Hindi) likkaaghua hai issmein, kya karnaa hai’ – not just that kind of a you know, what do you call that? (audience respond, ‘careless’) Not ‘careless’. It is (audience respond, ‘helpless’) you know, ‘helpless’ condition.

Many people are there then, ‘kyaa hai eh, subyahaan likaa hein kya karen hein’, not that kind of a helpless, given up, dejected, depressed condition. Smilingly, cheerfully saying, ‘Let it come’. That, oh, Gurudev is a beautiful example, uh – ‘Let it come. What can I do? At the maximum what? I will die. Is it not? So what?’ ‘Let me keep doing what I am supposed to be do and die, cheerfully. What is there to cry about?’

So it is not the helpless victim. He is a man of a such a strong, you know, positive thinking. If a time comes I have to go, I will go. Till then I will do what I am supposed to do – that cheerfulness. And at the same time, never complain about what happens and what doesn’t happen.

Do your best. It doesn’t happen? Doesn’t matter. It happens the way you want? Don’t arrogate. (If it) has to happen, it will happen. There is a, Tamil person, talking to English (member?) – whatever happened to happen it is, happen-nae happen, (laughs) happen-nae happen.

So praarabhdha samarpanam is, is not a dejected, depressed, helpless condition. Smilingly, cheerfully facing without any complaint, (is) the highest form of titikshaa. Is it not? (It is) what is referred in Bhagavad Gita as sama budhih. (And) in many places – sukha dukhae samae kritvaa, labhaa labhoe samae kritvaa, jayaa jayoe samae kritvaa, seedhoshna sukha dukhae samae kritvaa, sama loshtaashma kaanchanah – everywhere sama, sama, sama He brings, in every chapter almost. That is praarabhdha samarpanam.

Whatever – seedha or ushnaa, ok, I will take it. suhrnmitra ari udaseena madhyastha dvyeshya bandhushu, sama budhih; sama loshtaashma kaanchanaha, sukha dukhae samah – in that samathvam is the product of this Knowledge which says, that praarabhdhaa cannot be overcome. It is something which I have to face it, after giving up his sanchitam and aagaami in the fire of Knowledge; otherwise not.

That is why in Vivekachoodaamani also, Bhagavan Shankaracharya very clearly He says that, he who has given up all, all the, without lamenting about his problems, uh – saanti deekshaa nigarthiyathae, what is that called? dvanda sahishnutvam : ability to, sahanam sarva dukhaanaam apradeekaaraa poorvatham chintaa vilaa parhitam saanti deekshaa. sahanam sarva dukhaanaam : bearing all the sorrows, apradeekaaraa poorvatham : without thinking of reacting to them, chintaa vilaa parhitam : no worry and no lamentation, saanti deekshaa. This titikshaa itself leads to non-violence, you see. The ahimsa is because of this Knowledge. Not that, ‘I have,’ve…’, ‘but I won’t do anything’. That is not ahimsa, inside there is a lot of imsaa going on. But in your mind as well as in the word, as well as in your action there is no violence and that is what is referred as this praarabhdha samarpanam.

So my Teacher, I am convinced. He is my Teacher who has surrendered to his praarabhdhaa – not as a helpless condition out of such a incompetency and you know, depressed he is. Whatever happens, sanchitam tataa aagaami. bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae.

In Tattva Bodha also you might have seen, whatever that Mahatma has done good things, that will go to those people who surrender to him; and it is said, if he has done anything wrong it will go to those people who criticize him, ridicule him. So that is why in our tradition, never criticize, ridicule any Mahatma. Because all our, whatever he has done all those, all those years, all those janmaas, what, before his realization, that will come in installments to you only (laughs). And you wonder why? It is because you, you know, criticized and ridiculed a Mahatma, that is the reason.

But those who on the other hand, respect him, adore him, revere him for those Mahatmas, all the good things – because he is not going to take anything – all the good things that are done by that Mahatma will come to you. Uh?

So then our tradition worshipping the Mahatmas are considered as, actually it is a selfish thing, but anyway, so worshipping them is very important. Because not only their blessings will be there, but also only through their blessings you get the Teaching also.

So here it is said, bhutam bhaavicha dushkritam – this verse is so beautiful. So understand the impermanent nature of this world from the words of the Teacher. And recognize the eternal nature of the Truth in your quiet mind. Burn the effects of the past, that is sanchitam, and whatever is going to be done by you in the future, aagaami, in the fire of Knowledge.

sarvam karmaakilam paartha, jnanae pari samarpyathae : all actions come to an end in the fire of Knowledge. Uh? sarvam karma, basmasaath kurude arjuna : they get burnt, uh, in the fire of Knowledge. jnanaagni tagta karmaani basmasaath kurude arjuna : they are completely burnt. Then samarpidam praarabhdhaaya : for the sake of praarabhdaa is, swavapuhur samarpitham : one’s body is given to praarabhdhaa. iti yesha maneesha mama : this is my firm conviction.

So this the upadeesa vaakya. Tomorrow we will see, what is known as anusandhaanam, ayam atma brahma.

Swamiji: Uh? (takes question from audience).

Audience: For personal realization –

Swamiji: Yes, go ahead.

Audience: Automatically that praarabhdhaa samarpidam, have knowledge, everything given up, all the vasanaas, everything – so, personal level for them, uh, because they have reached…

Swamiji: Ok.

Audience: …the goal has been reached. And the advice for other people would be different, right? Because for people that have not reached there, you don’t have to get that in order to get there. So…

Swamiji: That is what I was telling that person that you, this advice is valid for those who have understood to some extent at least, not to the beginners. Because it will give a totally opposite, instead, it kind of it will look like totally opposite. Then, that person would say, ‘then why should I do anything?’.

Audience2: …immaturity!

Swamiji: Yeah. And it will look like you know, like an animal also doesn’t do anything for its own sake, meaning, to become different or change. So to, it is a wrong advice, given to the people. Or correct advice to the wrong people.

Audience2: Hm! Law of Karma is the culminating of the destination as the doer-ship has given up.

Swamiji: Law of Karma? What is it?

Audience2: Culminating in law.

Swamiji: Yesh, so that is why I said, the doer-ship, unless given up.

Audience2: Then the instruction is dangerous.

Swamiji: Instruction is dangerous. That is why Bhagavan Krishna also says, uh, na budhih bedham jarayet ajnanaam karma sanginaam : don’t disturb the uh, mind of those people who are ignorant and attached to action. So karma sanyaasa should not be taught to those people who are karma shakti, who have karma shakti. Therefore Bhagavan Krishna brings in karma phala uh, tyaaga, He brings that point – you give up the result of action, keep doing. So only when you give up the result of action, slowly you will understand the futility of action. Suddenly you give up action means that is not the correct advice, even to Arjuna; tamas will set in. Instead of becoming sattvic, he will become more, from rajas he will not go up, he will go down. Because they look alike –‘my teacher is not doing anything, I will also not do anything’. So that is not the correct. Because that is not tamas, that is sattva. So they may look alike, (but) they may stop doing everything. So do not therefore, unsettle the mind of the attached people, karma sakthi those who have.

So until the ego becomes thinned down, you will not understand, one will not understand why one should surrender to praarabhdhaa. A lazy person and a saadhu, who is doing nothing, will look same. A lazy bum doesn’t do because he has interest to do and achieve because of his ignorance, laziness – moha, pramaadha, agjnaanam, this is the nature of laziness, tamas.

Whereas on the other hand, a sattvic purusha, sattva pradaana purusha, in him the desires are not there, therefore he won’t do it. So not doing is same in both the cases. One, in the sattva, in the purusha who has, who has sattva, desire is absent. Whereas in the case of a tamasic person, desire is not absent. But self-initiative is not there. He will silently suffer, because he want to enjoy, but he doesn’t have the means to enjoy, or means to achieve.

So in the same way, praarabhdha samarpanam is not advisable, or not taught to the person who has not overcome his ego or ignorance.

Audience: (Inaudible)

Swamiji: Uh, huhn! huhn! Right, going against the river.

(sings closing prayer)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om |*4

End of Session #4 of #6

SESSION #5

Swamiji:

O………MO………MO………M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks - Verse Four

(chants first verse, the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeats chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeats chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi(group repeats chant)

kimprohi gacha gacheti ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number two, the prologue)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja aanandaa vabodaam bhudau(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number one)jaagrathswapnasushuptishu sputathara yaa samviduchchrumbate(group repeats chant)

yaa brahmaadi pipeelikaantatanushu protaa jagadsaakshini |(group repeats chant)

seivaaham na cha drishyavastvati dridaprajnaabi yasyaasta che(group repeats chant)

chchandaalosthu sa thu dvikjosthu gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number two )brahmaivaahamidam jagatsa sakalam chinmaatra vistaaritam(group repeats chant)

sarvam chae tadvavityaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam |(group repeats chant)

ittam yascha dridaa matihi sukatharae nityae parae nirmalae(group repeats chant)

chandaalo stuta dukvijostu gururit yesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number three )shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam nischitya vaacha guroh -(group repeats chant)

nityam brahma nirantharam bimirshathaa nirvyaaja shaantaatmana |(group repeats chant)

bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae (group repeats chant)

praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur - ityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur : one’s own body is submitted to praarabhdaa. In the context of uh, praarabhdaa, very word meaning is, that which has already begun very well, whether you want it or not it has already begun, prakshyena-ara that is called. And praarabhdam, that has begun definitely will have an end. It is not? Because anything that has begun means, it was not there before, and that has not there before means it has become an effect. An effect has beginning only its cause.

So therefore, the effect can never transcend the cause. Effect is that which is limited by the cause itself. There cannot be an effect which has endless existence. So it is caused by the earlier actions performed in ignorance. And the real cause of praarabhdhaa is not action but the intention of that action. Uh?

For example, if I have shouted at someone, that shouting is an action. Uh? The scolding is an action. The result of which is somebody is miserable or I am miserable because of that. Now that result of that misery may disappear after sometime, people forget. I may forget and uh, the person to whom, whom I scolded may forget. But the intention continues.

Another occasion, I will have the same action repeated by me. Because the effect is merely an expression of the intention, cause. Intention is what? ‘I don’t like that person’. So therefore, the result of an action may come to an end. But the intention will continue. That is the reason why people who go and seek Lord’s blessing to overcome a particular problem may continue to commit mistakes.

Bhagavan Krishna also He has given so elaborately the discussion on Karma and here He said very clearly in fourth chapter karman yeva, I mean in fourth chapter He says, He is called budhimaan who karmani akarmaya pashye akarmani cha karmayah : until you see the inaction of the self, actionless nature of the self in the midst of activities, and in the apparent non-action state in meditation, one recognizes the active presence of praarabhdhaa. Both one has to see.

sabudhi maan manushyeshu : he is called budhimaan. Why? Because even in a realized Master, even in a Master who has transcended all his gunaas, etc He will notice and observe and witness the, the presence of karma, praarabhdhaa, present in Him because of which still He is alive. Alive means, physically. He will not deny the existence of praarabhdhaa. But He will surely (be) not affected by the praarabhdhaa that is taking place.

From the other’s standpoint it may probably be true, it will be there. For His intention has come, has disappeared. The ego or the ignorance because of which He has performed the action earlier which has come to practify now, that intention is not there anymore. Therefore the sustenance of the affect is not there. It is already removed the very support for the further propensities of the same action coming back to Him.

In all our cases, we are so worried about praarabhdhaa but never we have eliminated the intention. Therefore the praarabhdhaa’s effect is to create similar action again. That is why it is said, aagaami is also surrendered. What is aagaami? (It is) the possible intention to continue that action. aagamishyati, meaning it is about to come in the future also. See, He had therefore no regrets about the egoistic ignorant action He had done in the past and whatever He has, not only this actions now practified but all the actions He has committed before the dawn of Realization, whatever He has done for which some of them may not have started the effects, those actions which are sanchitam – collected, well collected – those also He has given up because He cannot give up those actions in the past, can He? Because it is not available to Him, not accessible. But He has given the intention with which He has done in the past, those actions, that is already given up. And as such as He has given the wrong intention for ego is given up, so the possible sustenance for similar actions to come in the future is also given up.

So when one is taken to sanyaasa in the ancient days, one has to perform his own final rights. That is called the viragabone. That sannyasin who traditionally who takes a vow of renunciation should perform his own final rights also. Meaning as far as he is concerned he is dead. He is not an individual to perform any action initiating results to sustain himself. Because as far as he is concerned he is dead.

From others’ standpoint of view, or others’ view (he) may exists. So those are very strict uh, disciplines given to a sannyasin – ‘don’t do any action that will sustain you’. So his sustenance is essentially the food that he doesn’t generate, which others in the society who react the benefit of his existence, should sustain him. He on his own would not look for food. So you know, just to give an example, he on his own would not look for food. So what comes to him, that is why it is said, yaedirchaalaaba santhustaha. yaedirchaa laaba santhustaha : what comes on its own.

In Vedanta, I mean what you call, in Saadhana Panchakam also it is given there. (sings) swaadvannam naduryaachadaam vidivashaad praapdae na santhusyathaam. vidivashaad praapdanae na santhusyathaam, not praapdae na santhusyathaam, it is not correct that way. vidivashaad praapdanae : whatever comes on its own, santhusyathaam. Anyone be content with what comes on its own. So it is given an example as food. But food is only a, to show that one doesn’t seek any experience. Food being shown because it is an every day occasion, every day thing. So that is called, swaadvannam naduryaachadaam vidivashaad praapdae na santhusyathaam. oudaaseenyam apeekshayadaam jana kripaa naishuryam budhsurchyataam – so these are all instructions for those who no more sustain the intentions of action that will sustain the result of actions leading to further actions.

So long as the ego of ‘I’ exists, one demands, one demands and acts. Act, (then) result will come. Then that way, that is how the prakriti would sustain this, ego or the jeevan. He says, I am not going to sustain this, enough is enough. That is why a sanyaasin is not supposed to engage in any fire related activities, because as far as he is concerned, fire related activities are all over. Because fire is a way of sustaining things. You know, for cooking also you need fire. And every living being has certain amount of fire element in itself. (It is) because of which only one is alive. Don’t we check up temperature before whether a man is dead or alive? Heat.

So that is why He said, sarvam samvinmayae paavakae pradahathaa : burnt. So praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur. So for the praarabhdaa one; see as I said yesterday it is not the helpless situation. ‘kya karae…’. ‘sub praarabhdaa hai’ – that is the most foolish, ignorant statement.

So as I said yesterday, the maturity to give up free will is not to be misunderstood as a state of helplessness. It will appear to be so for those who have not got the understanding of why one should not engage in further activities. He has understood the Self as akarthaa. And to recognize, realize the akarthr aatma, one should remain akarthaa. But for those people who have no intention to realize the actionless self, activity alone will be their sustenance.

na kinchita, what do you call? Bhagavan Krishna very clearly says, that an individual cannot remain, nahi kaschid shanamapi jaadushtathi akarma krit karyatehi avashad karma sarva prakriti jai …: an individual cannot stay without action even for a moment. They have to act forced by the prakriti.

So if I have not recognized my nature as purusha, what will remain is only the prakriti. And prakriti is of the nature of action. And so every individual will engage in continuous activity, until death. And continue the same thing in the next birth, next life. So this, you cannot stop. Unless or until the individual recognizes, done is done. No more I will sustain my body, performing – my body and the whole personality – continue to be under the control of prakriti. purusha evadagam sarvamm et bhutam nitcha bavyamm : that purusha alone is everything, within me and without me also – antar maneestatam sarvam.

Once when that person recognizes the purusha as himself, then he becomes akarthaa. naiva kinchit karomee : I won’t do anything. I am not doing anything, pashyan shrunvan sprishan jighrann ashnan gachchhan svapan shvasan (Gita ch5, vs 8) – so while eating, walking, talking… So that is why it is said, samarpidam swavapuhu, praarabhdaaya samarpitham – you know that statement is very, very interesting one.

As I said, Bhagavan Krishna also finally what He says, ‘surrender to Me’. sarva darmaan parityajya maamekam saranam vraja : but the surrender is not just surrendering some action, surrendering some desires. When it is the total sustenance of this individual jeeva, because of the ego, that is surrendering. ‘Thy will be done’, what You think, what You wish will be done – not what I think. iti yesha maneesha mama : this is my firm conviction.

So the question if you ask to a Realized Master, ‘is praarabhdhaa there?’ He will simply ask, ‘to whom?’ If you as an individual see an enlightened Master sustaining or doing action and sustaining himself, it is because others want Him. Gurudev used to say, when we were studying, Vivekachoodamani, in Siddhbaari, ‘I am here because of you people. The moment you leave, I will also not be there. Meaning, the moment you don’t need me anymore, this body will collapse. So if at all I am here, it is because you people desire a Master to teach you Vedanta. That does not mean eternally I can live also, the body has its own, but it is sustained by not what I eat, what I think – praarabhdhaa. So the collective praarabhdhaa is working. The total praarabhdaa is continuing. When the total leaves, this body will leave. Hm?

So the Mahatmas therefore they will not attempt to sustain this body. praarabhdaaya samarpitam : it is very difficult to recognize or realize that nature of the mind. And He says, and you will say that that is a true freedom. And the true freedom is there, that you no more concerned whether you are dead or alive. But very difficult for a common man to understand this. That is why I said to that person (for what) he said, ‘do not give this kind of knowledge to any immature person because then he will then lose all interest in purushaartha’. And a sattvic person would understand that. A tamasic listens to this, he will stop doing everything, no sadhanaa at all. A rajasic person will misunderstand you – he will say, ‘this is a useless person’. But a sattvic person will know where you are coming from. So which temperament of people whom you are talking to, accordingly they will know.

Now having said this, in the next verse, it is the uh, Upanishad Mahaavaakya*, ayam atma brahma is taken up. In the previous verse, that verse number three we saw it is, ‘tat tvam asi’ – Thou are That. Not that you shall become that, you wear that. He says, ‘You are that’. Meaning, at all times you are that supreme self alone. Not that you became one, or you will become one.

Bhagavan Krishna also says, na tv evaaham jaatunaasam, na tvam neme janaadi paah, na chaiva na bavishyaamah sarve vayam atah param (Gita ch 2, vs 12). Arjuna you were there all the time. I was there all the time – these people are also. ‘These people’ means, all the people whom you see here. You will be there, I shall be there, everyone will be there. The plural number is given, Shankaracharya writes, only for making Arjuna understand that really the self doesn’t die. Not that self is in plural – many, that many selves are here, I am also one among the self, all of us will be eternally there. The expression of the eternal self in many forms is always there – it was, it is and it shall be. That eternal self you are, that is what is indirectly taught here. That, that one, natu eva aham jaatunaasam : I was not absent at any time. natvam : not even you, emae janaadi paha : all these people also.

So what is that which is always there? That is what you are even now – tat tvam asi. svataketu of Chandogya Upanishad – ‘ey Shvataketu, you are there, you will be there, you are there, all the time. That is what you are’. So here in the next mahavaakya* which is ayam atma brahma, we read this verse number four:

( chants verse number four)yaa thiryangnaradevathaabiki(group repeats)

ahamityantah sputa grihyate(group repeats)

yadvaa saa hridayaakshavishayahh(group repeats)

bhaanthi svatho chetanahh |(group repeats)

taam baasyai bihitaarka mandala nibvaam(group repeats)

spoorthim sadaa bhaavaya-n(group repeats)

yogi nirvritha maanaso hi (group repeats)

gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats)

(repeats verse number four, group joins)yaa thiryangnaradevathaabiki ahamityantah sputa grihyate

yadvaa saa hridayaakshavishayahh bhaanthi svatho chetanahh |

taam baasyai bihitaarka mandala nibvaam spoorthimsadaabhaavaya-n

yogi nirvritha maanaso hi gururityesha maneesha mama ||

yogi mama guruh, iti yesha maneesha mama – last line, yogi. Uh? Not yogam jaandi or a person who is knowing yoga or doing yoga is the yogi. nirvritha maanasah. nirvritham : nirvritham means fulfilled or one which has reaped, I mean achieved, krithajnatha, krithagrithyabha : I have done what I have to do, finished. I am done with the word. We also say out of so frustration, account settled, no more – not with a, that kind of a anger or frustration or depression, dejection - nirvritha maanasa. nirvritha maanasa means where there is no more seeking for guru, anything else.

See such a mind alone can quietly meditate. If you have a demanding world or demanding mind, with that you cannot do anything. Gurudev writes in this, ‘hushed mind’. Don’t we say, ‘hushed silence’? When we go to a place where everything is so quiet, (it is) hushed silence. Similarly the mind has become still, nirvritha maanasa means mind has become still. Mind has reached the state of total peace where not even iota, a glimpse of or even the seeking is there, seeking for something to experience.

One thing one must clearly understand, (in) meditation don’t expect anything to happen. If you expect anything to happen, then you don’t meditate. Will I lift myself from floor, will I become a frog jumping from one place to another place – Gurudev calls it as you know, ‘froggy’ meditation. Some people think you know, if I sit here and next time when I wake up I will be somewhere else.

People have fantastic ideas about meditation – or I will get the divine smell, or the light, there is some kind of a light will come on me. Gurudev used to say, if you are listening to some sound or some smell or light, (it is) none other than your own wife moving around when you are meditating, walking around. Don’t expect, or one person says, ‘swamiji, when I am meditating I see green light sometimes, sometimes red light, sometime orange light’. I said you are in traffic, your car is there (laughs) – these lights

If you are thinking of some such experience to happen, mind is peculiar, then it is not meditating. It is expecting something to happen. Therefore it is said, meditation is not an action, because action always (is) done with an intention to achieve something. na etad karma vishesham va na sagunoh baasanam tapaha – as Guru-ji writes in His (work called) Dhyana Swaroopam, dyaanam naama swaroopasyas sahajam vaanam uchchat yena etad karma visesham va sagunoh baasanam japaha : it is the spontaneous, effortless awareness of one’s own nature, that is called Meditation. na etad karma visesham : it is not any particular action, na sagunoh baasanam : it is not a worship, na japah : it is not repetition of any name.

So if it is not an action, not a worship, not a repetition in the mind, then what will you do there? Don’t do anything, chumma iru : (Tamil for) be doing nothing. Ok, then for not doing, what should I do? Not doing, or don’t do anything – what is there to do? So it is not the physical quietude because even as you physically don’t do anything, mind will say, ‘I am not doing anything’. (saying to the mind) ‘Shut up’. (mind responds) ‘I can shut up but I am not doing anything’ (laughs).

So the mind will constantly, because its nature is engaging in some activity. Or thinking – thinking why I am not doing anything. Or ok, if I am not doing, hope something will happen. So to that mind to be quiet, that is called ‘hushed mind’. nirvritha maanaso hi guruh : that yogi is my guru whose mind is still. Now how did he achieve that stillness? That is what is said here. First earlier in the verse He said, praarabhdhaaya samarpidam : so his mind is no more demanding anything from the world and whatever happens, accepted - no complaints, no complaints at all about what happened, what should not happen, what, what doesn’t happen, no such complaints.

You know I give an exercise, maybe evening seven to eight one should practice this. Everyday you put a you know, uh, timetable eight to ten - no question asked, whatever happens I just accept. Uh? Maybe in the evening seven to eight, just watch, don’t expect anything to happen. First one is accepting whatever happens, because seven to eight I am in the class (audience laughter). And now, next week let us see. No expectation from any one. No expectations.

First one is acceptance of whatever happens. Second one is not expecting anything to happen. No seeking, no initiation of any activity for one’s own sake. Your wife will be very happen. ‘What do you want today?’ You know one husband (was) asked this question. (He asked) ‘Do I have choice in dinner?’ She said, ‘yes’. (He asked) ‘What choice?’ (She says) ‘Eat or not to eat’ ‘This is the choice you have’. (continues laughing) ‘Not what you want to eat. To eat or not to eat is your choice.’

So whatever is on the table, chalo teekhai (Hindi for : ok, go on). So that is why when we go for biksha we don’t demand anything, whatever is there, teekhai bus (Hindi for : ok, enough). That is called biksha, you know. A beggar has no choices. A beggar cannot say, ‘this? This is not what I want?’ You cannot have choices.

So here, the mind expecting nothing. So such a mind is still, hushed silence - nirvritha maanaso hi. So how did he achieve that? Now it is said, he really knows yaa thiryangnaradevathaabihi, yaa : that which is, again feminine gender, yaa sputa grihyate : sputa grihyate, sputaa : saying again, sputaa means clearly, without any blemish, without any dirt – sputaa.

grihyate : is, the literal meaning is grasped, grih : grasps. See in the English word composed here, grahanam : grabbing, paani grahanam : you know that, thereafter you know no more freedom, she has grabbed your hand, finished; or you have grabbed her hand, paani grahanam. So, griha : you know as you know (in) surya graha, chandra graham – (that is) grabbed, the sun has been grabbed based in the raahu (a astrological planet).

So ‘grabbing’ is, or grahanam. sputaa grihyate : it is very well grasped. As what? yaa : that which is, thiryag nara devathaabihi (ahamiti) antaha : within all beings thiryag. thiryag is horizontal, literally speaking – all horizontal creations. All the animals, because the animals in, by nature they, they are horizontal. And nara is one who is vertical. Uh? devata : those who don’t live on the earth but they live in a different plane, they are called. The very word devata means jyothanaat devata. jyotanaat, meaning those who are illumined, they live as light. They take very lightly about such things.

So in the case of animals, human beings as well as in the divine being(s), antaha : within them self, ahamiti : as ‘I’, sputaa grihyate : it is very clearly grasped or recognized as ‘I’. So it is throbbing in everybody’s heart as ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’. Not the ‘I’ of the ego, that is ‘i-ya-yoh’ (as in Tamil,etc) (laughter) that is ‘I’, there is definite ‘I’ there. That ‘I’ is very dangerous ‘I’. But that ‘I’ which is the support of all thoughts and actions, subject of

all thoughts – as Kenopanishad would say ‘pradibodha vihitam matam amirdatvam nimirdate’. This pradibodha vihitam : in every thought it is there, awareness present in every thought.

So that ‘I’, the subject of all thoughts, sputaa grihyate : very clearly seen. So if I ask you, ‘what are you doing?’ (Reply) ‘I am walking, I am talking, I am listening’. That ‘I am’, which is the subject of all actions, thoughts, presently owned by the individual, the individual being. When I say, ‘I am walking’, I am referring to the body which is doing the action of walking. When I am seeing, I am again recognizing this physical body here seeing some other object there. But as I explained earlier that ‘I’ is not a physical ‘I’ or a thought but it is that awareness which illumines the thought, which makes the eyes function. That ‘I’ is the awareness.

sputaa grihyate : very clearly it is recognized by this yogi. So the yogi is not the one who is merely physically doing some past life vaasanaas,e tc. He who has clearly seen the presence of awareness equally present in animal or a human or a devata and easily grasped as ‘I’, yad vaasa : due to whose illumination, hridaya aksha deha vishayahh achetanahh svathaha bhaanthi. Because of whose vaasa : light, va in Sanskrit means ‘that which shines’. va is light. aahasa : that which shines everywhere. prabhaa, you say (as in) prakshyena bharati : that which shines with great specialized, specially shines.

bhaarati, bhaarata, so bhaa : shines, bhaarati : one who is enjoying the shine. bhaarata means that which enjoys its own splendor, bhaarath. bhaamati : one whose mind is full of light. bhaaskara : one who creates that light. Uh? bhaaskara is sun – so bhaa in the word. So yad vaasa : whose light, because of whose light, hridaya aksha deha vishayahh, hridaya : heart, heart it includes all the emotions and feelings. aksha : sense organs which includes all the karma indriyani, jnana indriyani.deha : the physical body, in all matter, vishayah : all objects outside, bhaanthi : because of whom alone all these are all shining, svathaha achetanaha : on their own self or their own nature, they are inert. a- chetanah : they are inert.

Like for example, if you are cooking, so you will take a pot and what you do for cooking rice? You take a pot, put some rice into that and put some water; and keep it on the stove. So you have the hot water and the rice. And then what you do? If you are newly married you will try to see whether it cooks or not (laughter) Because the book says (to) keep on the stove. (If you) keep it on the stove, then what will you do? It should cook. That is our present day generation looking like.

There must be fire. Without that it doesn’t cook. So you put the fire there, then the fire first transforms the heat, I mean transfers the heat to the pot, vessel. That heated vessel then transfers the heat to the water. The water gets boiled and then that heat gets transferred to the rice and then the rice gets cooked.

So rice gets cooked because of what? At one level, rice gets cooked because of water you would say because if the water is not boiling, rice cannot get cooked. How the

water is getting boiled? The vessel is hot. (That is) in the case of if you keep it in the stove. (But) if you keep it in the microwave it is a different thing. Sometimes you will see the vessel very hot, nothing is getting cooked inside.

So the vessel becomes hot and therefore the water becomes hot and therefore the rice gets cooked. So how the vessel became hot? (It was) because of the fire. So then indirectly, or without that fire the rice cannot get, get cooked. So why not you put the rice directly into that fire. Hm? So there is a media necessary for a particular function to accomplish. You cannot put the rice directly into the fire, it will get burnt. So each one them having a function on its own to accomplish a particular thing, even though the fire is the final cause for the cooking to happen.

Bhagavan Shankaracharya also very clearly says, you know that, vaa thasya vahnivat jnaanam vinaa moksho na sidhyathi : without the vaa thasya for cooking, vahnivat : like fire, jnaanam vinaa : without knowledge, moksha, moksho na sidhyathi : moksha is not possible.

bodhonya saadanae byogi saakshaat mokshaiva saadanam. anya saadanae byogi : than all other practices, bodaha eka saadanam : knowledge is the only means like that of fire is the only means for cooking. But that does not mean put the rice directly into the fire. In the same way, aatman : the self, the awareness is not in direct touch with objects outside. hridaya aksha deha vishayahh – that is a order in which it goes. Fire, vessel, water, rice – that is the order in which it has to be (for cooking rice). You change the order you will be in trouble. Uh? Let us put water directly into that. Let it boil (laughs), fire will be extinguished. Let me put the rice directly into that, fire, I mean rice will be burnt. You need that vessel.

So here what is referred as the closest uh, proximity in which of the what do you call, of the, of the consciousness is budhi, here referred as hridaya. As even the Atma Bodha again says that, that atman, na sarvartha avabasathe budho deva avabasetha sachcheshu pradhi bimbavat. Atman even though present, ever present, all-pervading but na asarvarthra avabasathe – even though atman is ever present but yet it is not always seen or experienced. budho deva avabasetha : in the budhi alone you can really see the presence of awareness, in like what? sachcheshu pradhi bimbavat : like that of in a reflecting media alone you will see the reflection of the sun.

The sun is there every where, on a stone, on a plant, on a tree and everything is illumined by this same sun only. But the reflection takes place only in a reflecting media. miraa : or waters, sachchesu pradhi bimbavat. Similarly in the budhi or hridaya, or what is referred as hridayam here, in that only hridayam budhi does not, don’t go back to brain. I am not talking about brain in budhi when I say. It is the innermost organ, internal organ where the awareness expresses as thoughts.

So the awareness is the reflected consciousness that is there, which is what is presently is experienced by us as ‘I’, ‘I am’. So whenever I say, ‘I am’, I am referring to the reflection of consciousness because of whose reflection alone, like now you see this

place is illumined. Do you think sun is directly hitting here? No. So it, it hits the ground or hits the other places. Their light is coming as a reflection only here. The sun is not directly here. When I say this place is lit, it is not the sun directly that is coming here. There are so many different things which are, let us say the whole place is uh, painted dark. Then this light won’t be there. Outside it is bright because of the white paint that is there and white paint as the nature of reflecting the light. And therefore the reflection of light is what we are, knowing to be, listening here.

Similarly, the budhi or hridaya there is a reflection of consciousness. That reflection of consciousness further illumines, aksha, deha and vishayaha. It illumines the faculty of seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, walking, talking – all those karma and jnana indriyani. And because of which the body becomes alive. When the body is alive and sense organs are active, because of which the experience of the objects takes place. So yaa yadvaa saa hridayaaksha deha vishayahh, svathaha achetanahh : by themselves they are achetanahh : they are inert. ‘Inert’ means what? That which does not know its own presence, that is called inert. That hand which has been so useful for me writing, etc, once that hand is cut and kept there, huh, can it anymore do anything? It has disconnected itself from awareness, what we call now presently as a life.

For example, your nail, you go on polishing and trimming and those things, because it is growing. Why don’t you cut it and keep it there? Let it grow. The moment it disconnects it becomes achetanahh. By itself it is actually achetana only. Now a days we add more, is it not? ‘Extra length’, everything is attached, here also it is attached, here also it is attached, every where you keep attaching new, new things. But that doesn’t grow. But the nail grows, why, because it is connected to this physical body. And the physical body is connected to the antaratman – the self. And the awareness is the one which makes this physical body alive and growing. So even though we do not see directly just like that cooked rice, is because of the indirect heat that is transferred. Similarly the growth that is happening in the physical body or experiences of the objects outside, all are because of the inherent presence of this awareness.

In Dakshinamoorthy Stotram also Bhagavan Shankaracharya very clearly says, naa naa chitra gadodhara sthitha mahaa deepah prabhaa baasvaram | jnaanam yasyadu chakshur aadi karanam dvaara bahispandate | jaanaa meedi tameva baanta manubaadi etad samastham jagatu. There He says, like if you see in the Halloween Day, Halloween, what do they put there? That they take a pumpkin, make holes there, put a light inside – look like some raakshasaa sitting there. Or they put holes, with one light inside. It looks like many lights are there.

naa, naa, during those times Bhagavan Shankaracharya create(d) Halloween there. naa naa chitra gadaha. A gada : a pot, where there are naa naa chitra : many holes. gadodhara, udhara : in the heart, in the stomach of that, the pot, deepaha : one lamp is kept. So just like we keep a bulb inside and the light is coming out as many different lights, similarly one pot which has many holes, in that there is a lamp inside. From a distance if you look at, there are many lights. Actually there are many lights, no many lights. It is only a one light there, expressing through many, many holes.

Therefore in the same way, jnaanam yasyadu chakshuhu aadi karana dvaara bahispandate. Through the eyes, ears, nose, skin, tongue, etc, these are all the apertures, holes. In this physical body these are all holes, through which the same light of awareness is expressing as seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, etc. jnaanam yasyadu chakshur aadi karanam dvaara bahispandate. And among all of them the foremost is the buddhi. In that buddhi, jaanaameedi : I know, the buddhi takes the, owns the awareness and says, ‘I know’. And this ‘I know’, jaanaa meedi tameva baanta manubaadi etad samastham jagatu : I know, when the buddhi says, ‘I know it’, it is because of the reflection of consciousness. The wall here, which is reflecting the light cannot take credit of its own. ‘I am illuminating this’, if the wall says, what can we do? In the night what happens? Why didn’t you illumine? So it is only reflection there.

Similarly the buddhi is a reflection of consciousness. But not knowing that it owns that awareness on its own saying that, ‘I am the one and that is called, ego’. Self identifying as the self-illuminator, that is the nature of ego. I am the one who illuminates, without me (it is not illuminated). buddhi is also illumined by awareness consciousness. This He knows. So that is why, yadvaa saa hridayaaksha deha vishayahh bhaanthi svathaha chetanahh. svathaha : on their own, achetanahh : on their own they are inert matter. That is why people who meet with an accident and lose their hands or leg, it is so scary to look at their leg or hand there, doing nothing, inert. Or just like a, you see a person who is acting and kicking and alive, dead. You feel scared looking at that person because it is so contradictory to what he or she was just few hours back or few days back, where you can see that person only, you know.

Let us say you see a person sleeping. You don’t gets scared. Do you get scared (like), ‘my God, he is sleeping’ (laughs). Where you have an understanding, now he is inert or doing nothing, later on he becomes a raakshasaa, that I know. Let us say that you are walking somewhere on the road, not here (in America) (but) in India or somewhere and somebody is dead. But you think that person is sleeping. Then you won’t, will not get scared. Is it not? ‘You went, came through that street?’ ‘Yes’. There was some dead body there – then you remember that, you get scared (laughs). But on your own when you look at it, you will think that somebody is sleeping there. Uh?

When that body which is earlier full of action and movement, etc, but suddenly you see that very body is inert like a stone, it scares me. Why? Because you are seeing what is contradictory to your mind. Your mind, that one is supposed to be alive. But actually it is inert. But really speaking it is inert only. By nature is what? Everyone of them, except consciousness all of them are inert, svathah achetanahh yadvaa saa eva : because of whose illumination alone. That is why tameva baanta manubaadi sarvam tasya baasa sarvam idam vibaanti. As we saw yesterday also, jyoti shaama vitachchodihi tamasaparamochyate – that is the greatest line. So yadvaa saa sarvam idam vibhaati tasya baasa sarvam idam vibaanti : because of whose light alone.

taam baasyaih bihita arka mandala nibvaam spoorthim sadaa bhaavayann : now here in the example he gives, bihita arkha mandala nibhaan, spoorthim sadaa

bhaavayann. So that very light because of which alone like that of the sun, you may not see. Well, let us say there are, lot of clouds. So one day, there are lot of clouds, you cannot see the sun at all. But the very fact that the clouds are seen, is because sun is there behind them, uh? Without the sun clouds cannot be seen. So the clouds are also illumined by the sun. And when you say, ‘oh, there is no sun at all today’, then how are you seeing the cloud? (laughter) vihita means covered, arkha mandalam – so the arkha mandala means the very solar uh, know what do you call, orb. So the solar orb is there and these clouds are covering it. The light will be there all around the cloud.

In the same way in me, the individual through the buddhi, through the senses in the mind, in him, through him, that only is shining there. It is spoorthim sadaa, spoorthim baasyaih, mandala (), sadaa bhaavayann : that one which is, spoorati, spoorthi means; so that which is throbbing constantly as ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’, ‘I’ – constantly.sadaabhaavayann yogi : one who is continuously meditating on that, nirvritha maanaso hi : being, mind being extremely still. The stillness is because he is not thinking about things which are illumined by consciousness. He is meditating upon that which is the origin of that reflection of consciousness.

As Gurudev writes here, even though they are all made up of inert and insentient matter, that which illumines everything as sun behind the, behind the bank of clouds. Uh, na tad bhasayate suryah na sasanko na pavakah. As in fifteenth chapter (of Gita) we read, (audience joins chant) na tad bhasayate suryo na sasanko na pavakah | yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama (Gita ch 15, vs 6). So again and again He brings the concept of sun, sun, sun again. Is it not?

yad aditya-gatam tejah jagad bhasayate ’khilam | yac candramasi yac cagnau (Gita ch 15, vs 12) : yesterday also we saw that, that which is there in the sun, that which is there in the moon, that which is there in the fire, that Shine, that jyoti, that tejas is Me. So therefore when you look at the sun, or look at the moon, or look at the fire, remember My presence.

In the case of Bhagavan Shiva, that three eyes are representing these three. Uh? That is why it is said that, His three eyes – surya and chandra and agni. shashaanka-vahni-nayanam, uh? That is called the three eyes of the Lord. Three eyes of the Lord being – sun, moon and the fire. He represents these three as the origin of light. Is there any other origin of light? Sun is an, one origin – main origin is sun – that its reflection is moon, further reflection are the stars. That is very sun which is in the sky is Himself (sun god) the fire.

So when you are offering the sacrifices to the Lord, we offer to the fire, the fire being representative of the sun there. So when we offering these various water, you offer to whom? When you are offering water, you cannot offer to the fire (laughs). It will get destroyed, extinguished. So when you are offering water, you offer it to the sun. Is it not? When you are offering ghee or food, then you offer it to the fire. Don’t do the opposite. For the sun, ok I will give you all the food, and I will give water to the fire (laughs). So pitru tarpanam, etc are done, not with the fire, because fire has already done its work.

Then you give it to the sun only. Because they have already gone from there. So for the devataas you offer to the fire, for pitrus you offer to the sun. Anyway, it doesn’t matter.

Here, therefore that which is behind the clouds illuminating the sun, similarly behind the sense organs, mind, etc hidden is the sun – the sun within. So therefore taam baasyai bihitaarka mandala nibvaam spoorthimsadaabhaavayann yogi nirvritha maanaso hi, the mind of the yogi is nirvritham : still. gururityesha maneesha mama.

So the intention of this verse is to show ayam atma brahma. This Self, referring to an ayam : here. As yesterday I said, hrit ayam, hrit : the truth, ayam : this, this truth – hridayam atma, ayam atma. So that which is within me, that which is within me in the sense, that which is behind the sense organs, mind and the heart, sadaa bhaavayann : a person who is ever meditating upon that, such a yogi is mama guruh. idi maneesha mama : that is my firm conviction.

So these four mahaavaakyas have been done. These mahaavaakyaas are meant for us to realize the inherent bliss which is there, aanand.

The last verse is about the nature of the bliss a yogi, a man such realization enjoys which is the final result of this uh, Vedanta Saadhana. If that bliss is not there, nobody will even attempt to do anything. All our pursuits are to gain some happiness. Ultimate happiness is called the moksha and without that ultimate happiness, you know one will suffer in this world, only constantly seeking fleeting things. So we will see that tomorrow, the final verse.

(sings closing prayer, group joins)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om |*4

End of Session #5 of #6.

SESSION #6

Swamiji:

O………M

(chorus joining in the chanting of the Invocation)om saha naavavatu | saha nau bhunaktu |saha veeryam karavaavahai |tejasvinaavadeetamastu maa vidvishaavahai |om shantih | shantih | shantih |*1

(chants offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers)sadaashiva samaarambaamshankaracharya madyamaam |asmadaacharya paryantaamdvande guru paramparaam ||

shruti smriti purananaamaalayam karunaalayam |namaami bhagavadpaadashankaram loka shankaram ||

shankaram shankaracharyamkeshavam vaadaraayanam |sutra bhashya kritavandebhagavantau puna punaha ||*2

(chorus chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya)samastha-jana-kalyaaneniratham karunaa-mayam |namaami chinmayam devamsatgurum brahma-vidvaram ||*3

Talks - Verse Five

(chants first verse, the prologue)annamaya dannamayam(group repeats chant)

athavaa chaintanyameva chaitanyaat |(group repeats chant)

dvijavara doorikartvam vaanchasi

(group repeats chant)

kimprohi gacha gacheti ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number two, the prologue)kim ganga ambuni bimbidembaramanao chandaala vaati payaha(group repeats chant)

poorae chaantara masti kanchanagati -mritvumbayor vaamvareh |(group repeats chant)

pratyaghvastu ni nistaranga sahaja aanandaa vabodaam bhudau(group repeats chant)

vibroyam shvapachoyamityavi mahaan koyam vivedha bramaha ||(group repeats chant)

(chants verse number one)jaagrathswapnasushuptishu sputathara yaa samviduchchrumbate(group repeats chant)

yaa brahmaadi pipeelikaantatanushu protaa jagadsaakshini |(group repeats chant)

seivaaham na cha drishyavastvati dridaprajnaabi yasyaasta che(group repeats chant)

chchandaalosthu sa thu dvikjosthu gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number two )brahmaivaahamidam jagatsa sakalam chinmaatra vistaaritam(group repeats chant)

sarvam chae tadvavityaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam |(group repeats chant)

ittam yascha dridaa matihi sukatharae nityae parae nirmalae(group repeats chant)

chandaalo stuta dukvijostu gururit yesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number three )shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam nischitya vaacha guroh -(group repeats chant)

nityam brahma nirantharam bimirshathaa nirvyaaja shaantaatmana |(group repeats chant)

bhutam baavi cha dushkritam pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae (group repeats chant)

praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur - ityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

( chants verse number four)yaa thiryangnaradevathaabiki ahamityantah sputa grihyate(group repeats)

yadvaa saa hridayaakshavishayahh bhaanthi svatho chetanahh |(group repeats)

taam baasyai bihitaarka mandala nibvaam spoorthimsadaabhaavaya-n(group repeats)

yogi nirvritha maanaso hi gururityesha maneesha mama ||(group repeats)

In these four verses, Bhagavan Shankaracharya has given to us the, a glimpse of these mahaavaakyaas*, four in number. They are given in different orders by different people. One is known as the, first one in this context was the very first one where the individual is able to recognize in oneself that the awareness which is in me consciously which is functioning through all my states of experiences, jaagrathswapnasushuptishu sputathara yaa samviduchchrumbate : that which is shining through my waking, dream and deep sleep. And also that the same thing which is there from the Lord Brahma onwards to the blade of grass – yaa brahmaadi pipeelikaantatanushu protaa jagadsaakshini, and witness to the whole world.

So first is, that which is in me in all states of experiences is only one. Though waking is opposed to dream, dream is opposed to sleep. What the experience I have in the waking state is not the same in the dream state. In the waking state I may be hungry and in the dream state I may be full, you know. In the waking state I may be poor and in the dream state I may be rich. And these two are contradictory in sleep, where none of those experiences which I had in the waking or dream are real in the sleep. And sleep is overcome again by the waking, and again I am back to another experience.

In all these experiences there is one thing common and that is the awareness consciousness. And that same consciousness is present without any change in all living beings starting from the Brahma, the highest, the foremost uh, pratama janitam or that is called swayambhu. Hm? Brahma onwards up to an insignificant ant, yaa brahmaadi pipeelikaantatanushu protaa : and he is the witness to the whole world or here it is referred as shi, jagadsaakshini.

saa eva aham : that alone am I. na cha drishyavastu : not what I see, perceive as my body, mind and intellect or the objects. idi dridaprajnaa : a firm awareness, understanding, yasyaaste : if he who has, that person is my teacher. Let him be a chandaala or let him be a brahmana; because the whole issue came up when Shankaracharya by mistake identifying his physical body addressed a low-born chandaala who came on his way, ‘move away’.

For which that chandaala answered that or replied, ‘what has to go from what?’ ‘You are made of food, I am made of food.’ ‘My foot’, he said. (laughs) ‘Why should I go away from you? Or if you are referring to me as consciousness, what difference did you see? For the consciousness is same in all living beings. In the nature of sahajaananda avaboda ambudau : in that ocean of bliss and awareness, what difference did you see?

The same sunlight, which is reflecting in a Ganges water or a ditch water does not change its nature though the reflection appears to be sullied or muddied in a mud water and clear in a Ganges water, those days. Or the space which is found inside a mud pot or a golden pot, no change is there as such. The space is not becoming gold or mud because of the condition in which it is. So is our self. What difference did you see? And you call yourself as a high born brahmana?

So as a response to that, Shankaracharya realized his mistake and then these five verses. So the first verse is about prajnaanam Brahma : the awareness is the Brahman. In the second verse it is said, the second important, most important, the mahaavaakya* – aham brahmaasmi. That awareness which I understood as Brahman is me myself and other than that nothing else is there. If at all I think or see anything else other than Brahman, it is my own imagination. brahma eva aham : that Brahman alone am I.

jagatsa sakalam idam : all this which I see as world, is chinmaatra vistaaritam : it is an extension of that awareness only. Hm? And if anything I see as variety in this world, it is nothing but my own creation of ignorance. sarvam cha etad avidyaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam : all these what I see as variety is combination of three gunaas,

which is the nature of avidya. And therefore nityam brahma nirandaram : that supreme Brahman alone is ever permanent reality.

bimirshadaa niryaada shaantaatmana, no that is not. sarvam chaetadvavityaya trigunaya ashesham maya kalpidam | ittam yascha dridaa matihi : in this way one whose mind is clear, that person, who is meditating upon that Supreme Blissful One – sukatharae nityae parae nirmalae – let him be a chandaala, let him be a brahmana, he is my guru. This is my firm conviction.

In every verse he says, ‘this is my firm conviction’. That is what is called maneesha : conviction. So five verses on the conviction, therefore Maneesha Panchakam. So is Shankaracharya convicted? No, no, he doesn’t get convicted. But he says, ‘I have a conviction’.

The third verse, the third the statement, that is, what is the third statement here, tat

tvam asi : the Teaching takes place. So the Teacher is most important because we lose inspiration on the way. We may read, we may reflect, we may understand but when it comes to practicing that, there will be lot of obstacles. So he says, the Teacher again and again reminds us, shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam. akilam vishvam : the entire world is continuously destroying itself. And destroying in the sense, it is recycling, destroying and recreating.

So therefore Bhagavan is engaged in lot of recreation. RE-Creation. His recreation is called leela. He is creating again and again. What we eat as food, goes back to the earth and comes back (as) another vegetable. Is it not? All the dead bodies are coming out as fruits. So that way you will never eat any fruit. ‘My god, this is another dead body I am eating’.

shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam. nischitya vaacha guroh : it is not my experience that I see world is continuously destroying itself. But the Teacher, based upon the authority of the scriptures, clearly states, this is to be understood – that the world, is constantly under change identifying with that, you will continuously suffer. Uh? shashvanashvarameva vishavamakilam nischitya vaacha guroh.

Then what should I meditate upon? nityam brahma nirantharam : the Brahman is the nirantharam, it is changeless, constant and which is highest than anything else. bimirshathaa nirvyaaja shaantaatmana : reflecting upon that with the still mind.

What happens as an immediate effect of that? One is ready to burn all his past actions, sanchita and whatever actions are yet to come, aagami. bhutam baavi cha dushkritam : whatever one has done in the past gets burnt, in which pradahathaa samvinmayae paavakae : in that fire of consciousness. So one is no more identifying with whatever one has done or whatever one is about to do in future. That way he burns everything and that is possible only when he has risen above his egoistic identification.

Then thereafter he will face the world, as it comes and what he considers that as praarabhdhaa – praarabhdaaya samarpitham swavapuhur : having surrendered his body or the experiences of the world, as they come without any complaint. Such a person is my guru. This is my firm conviction.

In the fourth verse he says, that is there in the animal, human and devataas also, yaa thiryangnaradevathaabiki : in what way this awareness is experienced? ahamityantah sputa grihyate : you know, in the form of yaa thiryangnaradevathaabiki aham iti antah sputa grihyate. aham, aham : ‘I’, ‘I’ awareness – continuously being experienced and that alone is being experienced by my mind, body, senses everything. Everything function(s) because of that.

As he says, yadvaa saa hridayaakshavishayahh bhaanthi : because of whose light alone my heart, my body, the senses and even the world shines. taam baasyai bihitaarka mandala nibvaam spoorthimsadaabhaavaya-n : just like the sunlight is present behind the clouds because of which you can see the clouds, in the same way awareness, is even though hidden behind we can’t see directly.

But because of which alone, all these senses, mind, etc, are all able to function as though they themselves individually as alive. But really speaking, svatho achetanahh : by themselves they are inert. Yet they appear to be alive. And unfortunately the intellect, which is the closest to the awareness, which is said to be the reflection of consciousness is owning up the awareness as its own. When that awareness is owned up as one’s own, that is what is called, ego. Hm? When that awareness is understood as awareness, then ego is dead.

When the awareness is seen as mere(ly) a function of buddhi – which is what Science tries to prove – awareness is the function of the brain, then one does not have any reverence or respect to God or the Higher Self. Why, because ‘I am the one’, because of buddhi alone it is there. When brain is dead, the individual is gone. If that kind of a misunderstanding is there, then there is no seeking for anything higher, or respecting something called God. None of those will take place.

So here it is said, hridayaakshavishayahh bhaanthi svathaha achetanahh : by themselves they are inert. The reflection of consciousness which is taking place in the, in the buddhi, is further reflected into all other things and they become. Like in the state of waking, all of them function as though they are individually alive. I can see, hear, taste, smell, touch, walk, talk, everything and my body is functioning with in its full swing taking the food, digesting it, and then free thing and all these things going on. My mind is experiencing all emotions, feelings and my intellect is doing its work of thinking, opinionating and judging all those things.

When you go to the next stage, subtle stage called dream, body has stopped more or less its functions, except breathing and digesting, etc. And eyes, ears, nose, tongues, they don’t function. Meaning they do not seriously engage in experiencing anything. The emotions and feelings as well as the thinking, they have gone also into a subtle nature and

more of emotions and feelings than any judgment. The intellect has taken a back seat. Only the feelings and emotions are being experienced, in the state of dream.

When you go the state of sleep, all the functions of conscious nature have come to a, what do you call, grinding halt. All conscious functions have stopped, including feeling emotions, thinking or consciously doing something physically to see, hear, taste, anything. At least in the state of dream you still see but not with these eyes, still hear (but) not with these ears, but still you hear or taste or smell anything that you want.

But in the state of deep sleep, none of those functions are also there. Judging is not there, opinionating is not there. And then in that condition what remains is the awareness as though covered by ignorance and one experiences the quietude of the mind, body and the senses and the intellect. This forced quietude due to absence of functions is what is referred as joy. I have explained to you about the difference between pleasure, happiness, joy and bliss, joy or peace, which is found in the sleep.

So pleasure is when the sense organ finding the fulfillment, happiness is when the mind is feeling fulfilled. Peace is when the intellect is feeling fulfilled. And these are all at different stages. But when the atma santhusti takes place, that is called bliss.

This atma santhusti is not another function or experience of the senses, in the form of their fulfillment, nor it is a emotional fulfillment, thought fulfillment, or an intellectual fulfillment. It is not even the so called restful nature of the body, mind, intellect in sleep.

In sleep ignorance is fulfilled (laughs), not knowledge because in the deep sleep ignorance is the king. Because no new knowledge takes place, no new achievement takes place, no learning is there and ignorance is ruling the roost there. That is why it is called the avidhya bhoomi : the state of ignorance or the kingdom of ignorance and there, causal body is alone there.

Causal body in your, you know the chart of the pancha koshas – this annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vigjnaanamaya, this, then, that is what is called, aanandamaya. Why is it called aanandam, because in that state there is no seeking for any joy for you; because in the other states you are still seeking some kind of fulfillment.

But in this state of sleep nothing I want, nothing I seek. So in that state, it is closer to the realized state but covered with ignorance. It is said, in the state of sleep you are at the lap of the Lord. You are at the lap of the Lord – but sleeping. You don’t know on whose lap you are. When you wake up already the Lord has disappeared. But you are enjoying the comfort of the Lord’s presence, not knowing. Then you say, ‘that is enough (laughs). Let us enjoy this you know, being at the lap of the Lord’.

That is why people are so eager to go to sleep – everyday. Even in the, during the class, you know. Others may think you are meditating. But really you are into the state of bliss. So that state of peace is not a voluntary, conscious attempt to know the higher self.

It is because of the prakriti’s work, you are tired physically or mentally and then one is experiencing a glimpse of the inner quietude.

So in the next verse, Shankaracharya talks about aanandam brahma. It is not a maahavaakya* but it is seen as one of the very interesting statement; because without this aanandam, which is the nature of brahma, nobody will seek that brahman. satyam, jnaanam, anantam brahma, it is said, in Taittiriya Upanishad. That is also considered as mahaavaakya by some scholars.

satyam, the nature of that awareness is being present, satyam – all the time. jnaanam, it is of the nature of knowledge or awareness. anantam : it is not subject to perishing at any time, it is eternal and that which is eternal alone can really give you what is known as bliss; that which is subject to change, it will lose its nature of aananda. Hm? Is it not?

If something is there, of one nature and it is changing into another, then it will not be causing joy at all because at one stage it gives you joy, at another stage it doesn’t. At one condition it is, at another condition it is not. Then how can that which is subject to change will be an eternally blissful giving. So anatatvaat aananadam : it is being eternal it is the nature of bliss.

So in the next verse, which we read here:

( chants verse five )yatsowkyaambudilaeshalaeshatha yime(group repeats chant)

chakraadayo nirvrithaaha(group repeats chant)

yatchitye nitaraam(group repeats chant)

prashaanta kalane(group repeats chant)

labdva munir nirvrithaha |(group repeats chant)

yaschin nitya sukha(group repeats chant)

ambudau kalidadheehi(group repeats chant)

brahmaiva na brahmavidu

(group repeats chant)

yat kaschit sasurerendra(group repeats chant)

vandita pado(group repeats chant)

nonnam maneesha mama ||(group repeats chant)

(chants with group joining)yatsowkyaambudilaeshalaeshatha yime shakraadayo nirvrithaahayatchitye nitaraam prashaanta kalane labdva munir nirvrithaha |yaschin nitya sukhaambudau kalidadheehi brahmaiva na brahmaviduyat kaschit sasurerendra vandita pado nonnam maneesha mama ||

Gurudev writes the another statement which is important here, brahmaiva brahmavid, brahmavid brahmaiva. So a person who has learned, understood Brahman, he doesn’t remain only as a brahmavid. brahman veti iti brahmavid. ‘vid’ when you add to a word, it becomes ‘knower of’. Gurudev used to say, like ‘blacksmith-uu’, ‘goldsmith-uu’ – (similarly) ‘brahmavithu’ (laughter).

So ‘blacksmith’, meaning he, one who is working on the iron; goldsmith; brahmavid. So ‘vid’, as you all know in English also, avid means he who knows very well, you know. I am an ‘avid’ photographer – so aavethi. So brahmavid, meaning he who knows Brahman.

But in unlike in other knowledge, knowledge is singular as well as plural. Uh? You don’t go and say, ‘knowledge-s’. There is no knowledge-s. So any knowledge that you take, in that one may become (an) expert. But he does not become that knowledge. Studying medicine, I don’t become medicine (laughs). If I am studying law, I don’t become a law. Do I? So I study law, suddenly I became law. Uh? Cannot be.

By studying medicine, I cannot become medicine. But one who understands and studies the nature of Brahman, he becomes Brahman. brahmavid brahmaiva bavathi : one who knows Brahman, he becomes that. So he no more remains different from what he knows. So that is what is said in, brahmaiva na, mere brahmavid. So this is my guru, who is I mean, I have a firm conviction he is really my guru.

Who is he? yat kaschit sasurerendra vandita pado. Whoever he be, yat kaschit : whoever that person be, saha : whose feet are worshipped by even Indra, sura indra vandita pada : his feet are worshipped by even Indra, the lord of all gods. Why should Indra worship him? The lord Indra has all the powers that he has. He is ruling the heavens. Uh? He is ruling all the pleasures and joys which are because in all traditions,

the heaven is referred as the abode of pleasure for which alone people do lot of the yagjnaas and yaagaadi karmas. Uh?

Even in Bhagavad Gita second chapter it is given very clearly, those who are seeking pleasure and name, fame, par, position, etc they continuously work, only do the karma, only to go there – to that abode of pleasure, where everyone remains only as sixteen (years of age). No more than that. Uh?

In uh, Katha Upanishad also very clearly he says – Yama – ‘you know, I will take you, I will give you all the knowledge and you will go to heaven.’ Infact uh, Nachiketa asks for that, ‘what is the way to go to the heaven?’ Not that he was interested to go there, but he just was curious, ‘what is the way to go to heaven?’ No! And Yama says, ‘You know, I will teach you’.

Nachiketa says that that place is where you are not there – natattatrvam na jarayaabibethi. People who go to the heaven, swargelokhe nabhayam kincha naasti : in that state of swarga there is no bhayam – nabhayam kincha naasti. ‘Why’, he tells the Yama – because natattatrvam : you are not there over death, na jarayaabibethi : people are not suffering old age, why, all sixteen. In fact there is no body, where is the question of sixteen or seventeen! Everybody is, you know, bodiless.

Know, one wonder, bodiless – how do you enjoy anything then? (laughs) If I have the physical body then I can enjoy the, you know, nice food, comfort, all the pleasures. No (physical) body, then what joy you can enjoy? So one may be disappointed – ‘nobody has bodies. I also don’t have body.’ So there is no jaraa, marana. There is no old age, there is no death. There are no doctors. There is no hospital. There is no old-age home. Because there is no body (that) is there, then where is the question of any of those things?

But the point is, let us see, when you go to a state of dream, do you experience a pleasurable world, or something or there or not? Pleasurable world or Suffering world – where is your body? What body you have left, at that stage? Do you have a body – where you enjoy the twenty-fourth rasagolla? Do you enjoy or not? Which body? This body is lying down quietly on the bed. But with which body you enjoy that rasagolla?

Which body you run? Which body you walk? Which eyes with which you see? Which ears with which you hear? Which nose with which you smell? Those experiences that you have in dream are with which body? With which mind do you think there? So in that dream state we still experience the world, not with this physical body. Is it not? So that is why dream can be hell or heaven as per what you want. Everyday we go through hell and heaven. Hell and heaven, is it not – every one of us. How? Not with this physical body. So it is possible for me to experience without this physical body. And peculiarity is I can experience whatever I want (laughs). Nobody can stop me.

In the state of dream you can experience whatever you want, joy or pleasure or pain. On your own, terms. Nobody can come and interfere unless a part of your mind creates it. Uh? You know, one part of your mind against you, so even in that place you

will see your in-laws are sitting there – ‘here also they come!’ Or the person you do not want to see, he appears there. In my dream, why did you come? Your own mind can oppose your own experience in the state of dream. In that state you are not using this physical body. This physical body has got limitations – it cannot take more than four or five rasagollas. But in the state of dream, you endlessly eat, tin after tin, (laughs) nobody can stop you. Why? Because it is not a physically, really happening.

So in that state of heaven, which is an abode of pleasure that lord of that heaven called Indra, he is at this feet. yat kaschit sasurendra vandita padau : why? Why should Indra worship his feet? That means even Indra is limited. Even the lord of heaven recognizes that heavenly pleasures are also not permanent. So here it is said, why that uh, Indra also worshipping the feet of this person, who is considered by me as my teacher? Reason is whatever that Indra has in his position as the ruler of the pleasures of the heaven, he has only a drop of the ocean of bliss, which this Enlightened master is experiencing – yaschin nitya sukha ambudau kalidadheehi.

The first line you see, yatsowkyaambudhi laeshalaeshatha yime shakraadayo nirvrithaaha. shakra adayaha : ‘shakra’ is the name of Indra. Oh, ‘shakra’, not ‘chakarai’. ‘chakarai’, you know ‘chakarai’ is also gives you joy only – sugar. See the words, sugar-chakrai, sugar-chakarai – see how close to (each other) they are? The word ‘shakra’ or, means, ‘shatakrathuhu’. 'krathuhu’ means yagjna, performance of yagjna. shatakrathuhu means one who has done hundred ashwametha yagjnaas, yaagaas. So it is said that, he, whoever he be, if he has conducted hundred ashwametha yaagaas, are considered to be eligible for the post of Indra. You want to do it? One is not possible (laughs). You will do hundred of them.

It is said that Bali Chakravarthy was about to complete its hundredth one, Indra was so afraid. Uh? He had gone for a heavy election campaign there. He went on putting billboards everywhere. Indra, Indra, Indra – vote for Indra, he said. But he was proceeding, the Bali Chakravarthy was so famous and so powerful. But it is not arrogant. He was a raaksha kula only but was not one arrogant person. Great respect he had for he brahmanas, etc and he was none other than the grandson of prahlaad. So his DNA was there for him. So he was respectful to the Lord. But he was continuing to proceed on finishing his hundredth ashwamedha.

Indra’s chair was shaking, already. Immediately he ran to Vishnu – ‘Bhagavan, please make sure that that raakshasaa does not become this lord of this heaven. Actually I don’t mind, leaving my position. But let him not become, that raakshasaa should not become – otherwise the whole thing may be ruled by only them. And they will, (although) he may be good, but his people, his other people may not be. His party is really terrible. That individual is good. So please make sure that he doesn’t become this.

Vishnu understood. ‘Tathaastu’ (so be it). Now I have to go to him and he is so powerful. So, uh, I have to make sure that he doesn’t proceed with his rituals’. So therefore Bhagavan Himself becomes a beggar there. So to protect his devotee, he can go to any extent. Don’t worry I will go and I will go as your brother, Upendra. His brother,

he therefore assumes the form of Vamana, a young lad, uh, as a brother of Indra and goes down to this place where the yagjna was going on, ‘bavathi bikshaandehi’.

Know, this Bali Chakravarthy was about to start his process, he comes out. According to tradition, a brahmana who comes at the yagjnashaala should not be turned away without giving him what he wants. Usally brahmanas won’t ask anything – much. Not now-a-days. So brahmana is sitting there. So he says, what do you want? So, he said, ‘simple’. I just want three pieces of land as measured by my feet, my foot. He looks at his foot, he saw it was so tiny. With this foot you want three pieces of land? That is all. ‘Wait, I will bring water’ because they have to offer it. Saying that – tadhaastu (so be it) – in that way he has to offer water. He goes inside.

Shukrachaarya, the prime priest of that yagjna, closes his eyes, ‘hey! what are you about to do?’ ‘No, I am going to offer the three pieces of land for that young lad.’ ‘Dare you not! You know who it is? Mahaan Vishnu has come in that form. He is the first, number one cheater, in these occasions. Don’t you ever go there.’ ‘See, I have given a word. Once I have given a word, I will surely accept, I mean, follow it. Not only that. If the Lord Himself has come to ask me, you know, how can I know?’ ‘This is too much. You should not go.’

He disobeyed his guru, took the water and went there. ‘Yes, I am ready, you know. First put the first step’. And as a true mischief monger, mischief maker, the Lord became a huge, as viraat. With one foot the entire world, the entire universe was measured. He understood, ‘I might have made a big mistake now. But anyway, the Lord has asked and I will give’ – gave that whole world, because he was ruling the entire earth. That is why he was able to do hundred ashwamedha yagjna. Entire earth, entire land was given to Him.

‘What about your second step?’ Entire heaven was measured by him. ‘This is my second step’ – given to him. ‘What is about your third step? Where do I put the third step, O Bali? I have already covered all the earth and all the heavens. Where is the another place?’ So Bali being so noble, he said, ‘one you have not conquered so far – my ego. My arrogance and ego, You have not conquered that.’ Put your leg on my head, put your feet. So then, Lord puts His, the third step He puts it on the head of Bali – which means, ‘now you are conquered’. So he had given all the three spaces. So Bali was taken in prison and this ashwamedha yagjna was stopped. Indra was very happy.

So ‘shakra’ is one who has conducted hundred ashwamedha. And then Bhagavan Vishnu said, ‘hey Bali, you will be given your own place of heaven’. Because he was ruling a portion, he was a main ruler of a particular part of India, which is known as the God’s own country – Kerala (laughs), that is why, ‘God’s own country’. So He said, ‘you will, you know you will be allowed to come and see your own people, once a year’. That is what is referred as Onam – ‘You come and see – enjoy’. You know, that is why they decorate the whole place very well, because they are inviting, they are welcoming their King to see the place – ‘how we are keeping it right now. We have not changed anything. We have allowed no industry to come here. Nothing. Nobody works also. And place is

left as you have left before. We just don’t do anything – your own country. Leave it as it is’. So that is the shakra.

So even that heavens ruled by Shakra, the Shatakrathuhu – Indra – even that Shakra, the Indra also gets only a drop of the bliss, which the Realized Master enjoy. yatsowkya ambhudhi – yatsowkya ambudhi means sukaambudhi : the bliss, ocean of bliss. ambudhi means ocean. suka ambudhi means ocean of bliss. yatsowkya ambhudhi, laeshalaeshatha : with the droplets that is of the ocean, yime shakraadayaha : these Indra, etc, are nirvrithaaha : so content. This even, Indras and other (gods like) Indra, Agni, Vayu, etc, all of them were so fulfilled with a drop of the ocean of bliss, which is the nature of my guru, who is realized, enlightened one.

yatchitye nitaraam prashaanta kalane labdva munihi nirvrithaha : so shakraadayaha nirvrithaha : the men, I mean these Indra, etc they are enjoying only the drop of bliss, which is experienced by the enlightened one and munihi nirvrithaha : the contemplative masters are also so content, because of what? labdva : having gained, prashaanta kalane chitye nitaraam : as Swamiji (Shankaracharya) writes here that, the rare one whose, that particular portion is not translated here. You see, that is not there.

munihi nirvrithaha : the person who is now, prashaanta kalane : prashaanta kalane means that is, extremely peaceful state of mind. Having gained – yatchitye, in whose intellect, in whose mind, there is complete stillness – nitaraam prashaanta. It is not one time there is bliss and another time there is unhappiness, and then anger and any other condition. nitaraam : always in the prashaanta state, state of complete joy. In that munihi nirvrithaha : become so self-fulfilled.

So the greatest joy is keeping your mind first of all in the same condition, irrespective of what happens at the world and other aspects of your personality. That is why in Bhagavad Gita (in) many, many places you see – samaha, samaha, samaha always He said. In the chapter twelve it is continuously being said. One who is sama, samasanga varjithaha, sama loshtaashma kaanchanaha; in various other places –sukha dukhe samae krithva labha labho, there also ‘samae krithva’; samathvam yogo yuchyate, samam pashyan yi sarvartha, sama vasthithameshvaram, vinashashu avinashyantam yat pashyate sapashyate – various places this samathva is extolled. Because this sama leads to kshama. kshama is quietude of the mind. So samathvam or keeping oneself balanced in various apparent opposites, lead one’s mind to kshama : quietude.

So this mind has become prashaanta : it is something which no one can even imagine, that amount of quietude the mind has reached. (sings) yatchitye nitaraam prashaanta kalane labdva munihi nirvrithaha : the mind has become self-fulfilled there. yasmin nitya sukhaambudau kalidadheehi – yasmin, in which, nitya sukhaambudau : the eternal ocean of bliss, kalidadheehi : his intellect is also galitham : it has already taken a dip or sunk. galitha means, it has already taken a dip or sunk. galitha means it is already merged, plunged into. It is already plunged into the ocean of bliss, but not sinking, but not, what do you call, ‘drowning’. It is sunk there – galidadheehi.

As Ramana Maharishi would say, in the, in the Sapta Darshan very clearly – where an individual has jumped in to the water, looking for pearls, can he speak? mounae namajjan manasaana chalena. mounae namajjan, majjan means majigate, not majigate, majjan means ‘sunk’ (laughs). mounae namajjan : one who has become so quiet, mounae and he is already sinking or he is swimming into that ocean of joy within looking for the ultimate presence of the Lord, he has nothing to say to anyone

mounae namajjan. Just like a person in deep sleep doesn’t speak, a person in deep meditation fully engrossed in that state of bliss also has no words to speak. Just like a person inside the water cannot speak. Hm? If he tries to speak he will have to come out; or (imitating talking from inside the water) wabble, wabble, wabble only he has to do (laughs) – no sound will come. That is why Ramana Maharishi and such other people, when they are asked question, most of the time they are quiet. Why – enjoying that infinite ocean of bliss, mouna.

And we also practice mouna but only externally mouna only, internally all sort of things going on – (mumbles) after I finish this silence, I will do this and I... And that is the best time, you know to ridicule anybody, because they cannot speak. After that person starts being (silent), you run away from there (laughs). Because we had one student, when we, I was studying there in ‘Sandeepany’. And she you know, every Thursday or something, absolute silence. That is the best time to pull her leg, you know. ‘Look at her face (laughs), if you look at her we can’t eat for two days’. She will get so upset and angry, and we will enjoy because you can’t speak now (laughter). Next two days we won’t meet her (laughs).

So it is not mere mental quietude, I mean, mere not speaking. Mind becomes quiet because of no generation of thought. Just like in the state of sleep one does not generate any thought, which will not prompt him to speak. In the same way, mounae namajjan. That’s why, yaschin nitya sukhaambudau galidadheehi – the intellect is also ghalitham. Such a one, brahmaiva na brahmavidu. He does not remain as a mere knower, because knowing is the function of the intellect, even (if) that intellect has merged. It is no more an individual opinionating about a subject. He becomes that very subject itself. The ‘dhi’, which is subject to making discrimination is no more there.

As Ramakrishna Paramahamsa has said, he who is seeking liberation should become like a salt doll looking for its own source. When it jumps into the ocean, it no more exists. A salt doll jumping into the ocean will never come out with, as another salt doll. Once it has entered into the ocean of salt only, then it itself loses itself.

So a muni who is thus entering into the ocean of bliss no more see, will see himself, oneself as different from another. Uh? That is why it is said in the Ishaavasu Upanishad and chapter six of Gita also – yasmin sarvani bhutani atmaivabhud vijanatah | tatra ko mohah kah shoka ekatavam anupashyatah. Isa. 7 (replacing words from audio - to atmaivabhud vijanatah Isa 7 from atmany evanupasyati Isa 6) There is no, where is the

question of moha and shoka – delusion and sorrow for a person who no more sees any difference between himself and anybody else?

Our joy is disturbed because of seeing differences. Our peculiarity is, our difference gives us pleasure, no difference gives us bliss. So that is why I want to enjoy some object, unless they are, it is different from me, I will not have a desire to enjoy that. So our pursuit of joy is beginning with division. I want to go there, I want to enjoy this. I want to experience this, it is because I consider that object which I want to experience is different from me. So the object which is away from me is inviting me to enjoy, but real enjoyment, where does it take place? Only that object becomes one with me, is it not? So though the pleasure seeking begins with the division but the real joy takes place only when that division is destroyed.

Rasagolla is there, I enjoy it. When? When the rasagolla becomes me, one with me. Until then it is only a desire, it is only a longing, it is only a seeking, anxiety. But real joy is when that object is become, has become one with me. I want to buy new car. And I, every time when I go to the shopping area I look at that – that red car, uh? The latest model, hybrid, race. raeyasha shreyasha mamnushya medaha – so that race (model) is what I want. And there is a waiting. Whenever there is waiting period there is lot of rush for that because more people are seeking the same thing. Is it not?

When the new movie comes, everybody wants to go even paying extra money – ‘I want to see it’. Why? When there is limited, more people. That means it is more attractive. That means it has joy for more people. It gives joy for more, so more people demand. It is a, what you call, a, un-understable, illusory cycle that goes on. Or they create such demand also, artificially. So everybody, nano, nano, naanu, naanu - everybody is now booking the naanus now. nanaku beku, nanku beku (laughter). naanu, naanu, naanu, nano, nano, naanu. See therefore the object that is away from me, thinking that it is an object of pleasure, my seeking begins. But when does it really end, when it becomes yours. And after it becomes yours it gathers dust (laughs). Afterwards you don’t even care about that it is there. I don’t care.

So this seeking ends in becoming one with that. Once it becomes yours, hm, no interest. But in the case of this Brahma, uh, what do you call, bliss of Brahman, that seeking no doubt begins as something, which is I understand as the very abode of bliss. You become brahmavid when you know it. But when a fulfilment takes place, that Brahman becomes one’s own nature.

Now when that Brahman which is the absolute blissful nature becomes you or you become that, what you will be? Everybody will be after you (laughs). Is it not? Everyone will be after you, why? Because you have, you hold the entire, bliss which is sort after by all living beings in this world. How can Indra be spared? Even the Indra, the lord of pleasure come looking for you, ‘where is this fellow’? And it is said that a brahmavid can never be hidden anywhere. Even if he is in the remotest corner of the world, people come looking for that person. Uh? People like Ramana Maharishi, what, what

advertisement they make, paper advertisement? To picture you say, ‘You want bliss? Come here’ (laughs) Do they put any advertisement for that?

Ramana Maharishi, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Nisargadat Maharaj and many other Masters, nobody needs to tell anybody. People come flocking. Why – Because he is a brahmavid, he is a Brahman only and he holds the entire bliss with himself. Whether they understand his language or not, they just will be there. How many such Masters they can’t speak even one single word of English? So many people from different parts of the world, flock there. Why – because he is ocean of bliss.

Just like an object which you desire when somebody else has it, you go looking for that? Do you have that? So when our pursuit begins with a division, thinking that it is that an object which I want to enjoy, but real joy takes place only when you, that object becomes your own. Similarly, the Brahman as a idea or a concept, the possibility, when you pursue it is, you are brahmajigjnasu : you are seeking that knowledge. When you know it you become brahmavid. But when you own it, you are Brahman and a brahmavid completes his journey only as becoming a Brahman. It is not just pursuit itself, once you understand its full nature, that brahmavid, brahmaiva bavati – because the ego that seeks the fulfilment, unless that is given up, the real fulfilment cannot be. So that when ego is given up, the individuality is dead. An individual dies, what remains there is that Supreme Lord.

So this verse, yasmin nitya sukhaambudau kalidadheehi : the intellect is also merged. Before that, chitta : mind is merged, that is what he says, (sings) yatchitye nitaraam prashaanta kalane labdva munir nirvrithaha : feel fulfilled with the mind becoming quiet, intellect getting merged. That is why Bhagavan says, mayy eva mana ādhatsva mayi buddhim niveshaya nivasishyasi mayy eva ata ūrdhvam (Gita, ch 12 vs 8) : you will remain in Me only. ata ūrdhvam na samshayah (Gita ch 12 vs 8) : thereafter there is no doubt about this. jnani tv atmaiva me matam (Gita ch 7 vs 18) : jnaani is Me Myself – Bhagavan Krishna puts in a different way.

tesam jnani nitya-yuktaha eka-bhaktir visisyate (Gita ch 7, vs 17). tesam : among those four kinds of devotees which I have, jnani nitya-yukta, why - eka-bhaktih : he has one-pointed devotion, there is nothing else in his mind. atyartham mama priyah : he is extremely dear to Me. jnani tv atmaiva me matam (Gita ch 7 vs 18) : that jnaani is Me Myself. So here, brahmaiva brahmavid. Therefore yat kaschit : let him be anybody, sasurerendra vandita padaha : even the Lord Indra will worship his feet. noonnam maneesha mama : for sure he is my guru. So aanandam brahmedi.

So in this last verse he has given as the final result of this knowledge the four-fold mahaavaakyaas* – prajnaanam brahma, aham brahma asmi, tat tvam asi, ayam atma brahma, coming from different uh, what do you call Upanishads – Aitareya, Brhadaranyaka, Chandogya and Mandukya. These four Upanishads representing Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva Vedas, respectively. There we see each one of them indicating the Supreme state as which is known as the mahavaakyaas*.

That is what is explained in this five verses which we saw and Bhagavan Shankaracharya having completed this he indirectly taught his students that do not merely judge your guru by what, how he appears to me. He can be a brahmana, he can be a unlettered, uneducated, so called low-born person. What is most important is what is his nature of enlightenment? What is his nature of awareness? What is his mind? In what state of mind in which he lives. That one has to recognize, doesn’t matter whether he is a chandaala or a brahmana. He who has this firm knowledge and enlightenment is my teacher. We read the Nirvana Shatakam as a conclusion of that page eighteen.

(sings)mano buddhi ahankara chitta ninahamnacha shrotra jihve na cha ghrana netrenacha vyoma bhoomir na tejo na vayuchidananda rupa shivoham shivoham

na cha prana samjno na vai pancha vayuna va saptadhatur na va pancha koshahna vak pani padau na chopastha payuchidananda rupa shivoham shivoham

na me dvesha ragau na me lobha mohaumado naiva me naiva matsarya bhavahna dharmo na chartho na kamo na mokshahchidananda rupa shivoham shivoham

na punyam na papam na saukhyam na dukhamna mantro na teertham na vedo na yajnahaaham bhojanam naiva bhojyam na bhoktachidananda rupa shivoham shivoham

na me mrityu shanka na me jati bhedahpita naiva me naiva mata na janmana bandhur na mitram gurur naiva shishyahchidananda rupa shivoham shivoham

aham nirvikalpo nirakara roopahavibhur vyapya sarvatra sarvendriyanamsada me samatvam na muktir na bandhahchidananda rupa shivoham shivoham ||

shivoham shivoham satchitanandoham(group repeats song line)

shivoham shivoham satchitanandoham

(group repeats song line)

shaantoham shaantoham satchitanadoham(group repeats song line)

shaantoham shaantoham brahmaswaroopoham(group repeats song line)

shivoham shivoham satchitanandoham(group repeats song line)

satchitanandoham(group repeats song line)

(sings closing prayer, group joins)om sarve bhavantu sukhinahasarve santu niraamayahsarve bhadrani pasyantu maa kaschid duhkha bhaag bhavetom shantih shantih shantih |harih om sri gurubhyo namahharih om |*4

END Session #6 of #6

*The four Mahavakyas are :

1. Prajnanam Brahma - "Consciousness is Brahman" (Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda) (lakshana vaakya).

2. Ayam Atma Brahma - "This Self (Atman) is Brahman" (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda) (abhyaasa vaakhya).

3. Tat Tvam Asi - "Thou art That" (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda) (upadeesa vaakya).

4. Aham Brahmasmi - "I am Brahman" (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda) (anubhava vaakya)

*1Meaning of the chanting of the Invocation:“Oh Lord please protect both of usOh Lord let us both enjoyOh Lord let us put forth the right effortOh Lord let our leaning be brilliantOh Lord let there be no conflict between both of usOm Shanti Shanti Shanti”

*2Meaning of chants, offering of traditional salutations to the Guru Parampara-lineage of teachers: “Prostrations again and again at the feet of bhagavaann Shankara, thestorehouse of scriptures - shruti, smriti and puraanaas - and who is alsoa storehouse of compassion, who confers happiness and prosperity, whohas written commentary on the sutras and belongs in the lineage of theguru parampara of keshava, baadaraayanaa ..”

*3Meaning of chanting of Salutations to Sadguru Chinmaya:“Salutations to Pujya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayanandaji, best of the teachers and knower of the supreme knowledge, who has been serving humanity with immeasurable compassion”

*4 Meaning of closing prayer (as given by Swami Sivananda):“May all be happy! (sukhinah)May all be free from disabilities! (niraamayaah)May all look (pashyantu) to the good of others!May none suffer from sorrow! (duhkha)”