Amrita Bindu Upanishad Lecture 09 on 03 February 2024

Summary

Swami Dayatmanandaji analyzes verses from the Amritabindu Upanishad on how to meditate upon Brahman. The sixth verse states that Brahman is beyond normal conception - it cannot be thought of in a conventional way. Yet one should constantly think of and worship God in a chosen ideal form with loving devotion (bhakti yoga). God can manifest in infinite forms.

The seventh verse advises practicing concentration starting with the letters/sounds (akāra, ukāra, makāra) that comprise Om, then meditating on Om itself beyond the letters. This leads the mind beyond entities to realize oneness with Brahman.

The eighth verse states that the supreme Brahman is partless, beyond conception, stainless. Realizing "I am that Brahman" leads to attaining eternal unity with Brahman.

Several hints are given for this advanced meditation. Brahman is described as partless, infinite, beyond conception, example-less, without causes, endless. When known, the wise person's intellect becomes immersed in Brahman.

The passage explains that Brahman transcends subject-object duality. The mind naturally conceives of everything as objects, but Brahman is the subjective pure Consciousness underlying all conception and perception. At first, the spiritual aspirant may conceive of God as subject and themselves as object, but later realizes there is no difference - "I am that Brahman."

Various metaphors are given to help conceptualize the inconceivable Brahman, like infinite sky or ocean. But language and examples ultimately fail. Brahman cannot be polluted by thought and speech because it transcends them. The highest spiritual state goes beyond experiencing Brahman with qualities to realizing the quality-less reality. But devotion to Brahman with qualities prepare the mind for this higher realization.

In summary, the verses revolve around the means and concepts to help contemplate the ultimate Truth or Brahman through various stages from dualistic devotion to non-dual formless meditation. They offer guidance for different spiritual temperaments and levels from beginner to advanced aspirant. The essence is that single-minded loving contemplation of one's chosen Divine ideal form leads to unity with the eternal Subject or pure Awareness that is Brahman.

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Amrutavindu Upanishad. Now we have entered into the sixth mantra in which how we should meditate. So there are two ways of understanding this. One is the methodology. We should sit on an asana which is neither hard nor very soft. Keep our backbone straight, etc. But the other one is upon which object. How should we think of the object? And for the beginner, the Bhakti Yoga is recommended. Where God in the form of either human being, most of the time human being, but sometimes with animal heads are also recommended. For example, Hayagriva, head of a horse. Ganesha, head of an elephant. Even though it's a very marvelous thing to contemplate, even though we think of them, we see the elephant head, but the elephant is much wiser, more wise than most of us. Similarly, Haya, Ashwa, horse. There are so many great people who have contemplated this aspect of Bhagavan Vishnu, Hayagriva, and attained scholarship, name and fame, and what is called knowledge. It doesn't matter. God is infinite, so the paths are also infinite. Every path, any path, that is fine. And there are people into whose heads this can never go inside. There are people who say Hindus are idolaters. They think of different images. As if you don't think of any image. Christians, for example, how do they think of God? Always he's depicted. Whether it is Michelangelo or anybody, he's an old man, first of all. Hindus never think of God as old at all. And only one God is there who is considered old, called grandfather, grand, with that Brahma, Pitamaha, grandfather. But other than that, our Krishna, even at the age of 125, he looks like 18 years young man, Rama. Similarly, like that only. Very rarely you get photographs of Rama, Krishna, etc., with beard and moustache, etc. So very, very young, very pleasant. The very looks of them lights our hearts. But Hinduism accepts if a person is thinking of a cow, because we worship cows. We worship bulls. Shiva's vahana is bull. And Lakshmi is always associated with the cows and elephants, etc., etc. They are not looked upon as animals, but God manifesting in that particular form and truly speaking. So when I am surviving because I drink cow's milk, then I have to thank God in the form of the cow, not simply offering payasam and starving the cows. Most Indians, that is what they do. Excepting for milking time, they leave it, let it go and forage for itself. But how did Krishna look upon the same cows, same horses? So many stories are there. I would not go into it today. But can God be thought of as a stone? Yes, so many. Saligrama and Shivalinga, so many things. Can God be thought of as a river? Yes, every river is a goddess beginning from the Ganga. Mountains are God's. So the sun is God, the moon is God. So infinite is God, infinite are His manifestations and infinite are the pathways. That's what Shri Ramakrishna had come to teach us. Jato Mauth Tato Bhaut As many faiths, so many paths. But here the Rishi takes for granted there was somebody and he has made his mind pure because that is how this particular Upanishad starts. Mind is of two types, Shuddham and Ashuddham. And mind is the cause of bondage and liberation. A pure mind is a liberated mind. An impure mind is a bound mind. But it is the same mind which we have to purify. When it is sufficiently purified, it is called, it has attained the state of Yogyata. That is fitness to think about God. For such people, a very paradoxical language is used. As I mentioned in some of my classes, Vedanta uses several types of languages. I am not talking about Sanskrit or Hindi or Bengali. I am talking about expressive. So, ironical language, paradoxical language, negative language, analogical language. So, all these. Then there is a language called complete denial. What is paradoxical? God is there. God is here. God is still. God is ever running, etc, etc. So what? So many ironical are there. He is very compassionate. But he is also a very strict person. That is why Christians will say that God the Father cannot broke any injustice. He is always with a big rod. Rod is used as a thunderbolt. So, in the sixth one, which we had already entered, briefly we will recollect. नईवचिन्तियम् नचः अचिन्तियम् नचिन्तियम् चिन्तियम् एवतत पक्षपात विनिर्मुक्तम् ब्रह्म संपध्यते तदा So, first of all, how to think about Brahman, pure Brahman? नईवचिन्तियम् should not be thought. Literal languages should not be thought about Brahman. नचः अचिन्तियम् And you can't help thinking about him. नचिन्तियम् And so, you cannot think in the normal way. You have to become abnormal. Or, Brahman has to be thought as something different. But, चिन्तियम् एवतत सर्वदा भगवा नारायणः एव स्मरणियः All the time, what you think? Shiva, Narayana, Vishnu, Krishna. सततं केर्तयंतो माम् Always great bhaktas go on singing about God, talking about God, then listening about God, meditating about God and dreaming about God. Dreaming is also a great indication. If anybody can dream of Gods and Goddesses, that person is really progressing in spiritual life. Like Nagamahasaya, like even Vijayakrishna Goswami. So, this Brahman is पक्षपातमिनर्मुक्तम् Absolutely impartial. We will take up very briefly, one by one. When a person succeeds in thinking of Brahman in this way, तद, when he reaches that state, successful thinking about Brahman, संपद्यते ब्रह्मा Attains Brahman. Always these linguistic expressions should not be misunderstood. They must be interpreted in the right way. I reach God, I attain God, I obtain God. All these verbs indicate that God is different. Just like I did not have a house, I had a house. So, I wanted to become a higher officer. I obtained that higher post. So, whatever I did not have, I obtained it. Because there is a general rule, whatever... What happened? Whatever is obtained will ever remain separate and there will be no identity. But in Advaita Vedanta especially, not in Dvaita Vedanta, but only in Advaita Vedanta, one has to think that I and Brahman, they are not two separate objects. जीवो ब्रह्माइव न अपरहा Beautiful expression by Shankaracharya. And then, when we, when a sadhaka, when an aspirant is capable of thinking, पक्षपातः विनेरमुक्तम् पक्षपातः means partiality. Partiality, jealousy, love and like, dislike, all these realities are only when there are at least a minimum of two objects. But Advaita means only one without a second. Therefore, towards whom a पक्षपातः is there. And even look at this fun, I may have this physical body and I have got terrible पक्षपातः all the time. That is what scientists tell us that we use one limb more than the other. So usually for the men, it is the right leg, right hand. And it is some of the women, they start their journey with a left leg. This is Hindu belief. So we may use right eye more than the left eye. Or some people, left-handed people, but they are very less in number. Plenty are there, but comparatively they are very less. So any part of our body we use only, we have पक्षपातः, partiality. We prefer to use one particular side of the thing. Why? Because body comes under the category of duality. It has so many parts and one part cannot function like the other part. Eyes cannot hear, ears cannot see, but my right hand can do. And right hand means the hand which a person uses most of the time for important things. And the other hand only assists. That is called right hand. If somebody has got left hand, that would be his right hand. Like my right assistant, right-handed person, the expression is there. So wherever there are two, only there it is partiality, likes and dislikes, and attraction and non-attraction. All these are possible. Since Brahman is infinite, it cannot change, there cannot be पक्षपातः, it's impossible. Now how to think about this Brahman? So नईवचिन्तियम्, one should not think of Brahman. And in this context we also can use, one should not think of our इष्टदेवता in a particular way. What is it? Of course, everyone has his own favorite way of thinking about God. That is called इष्ट, means the form which attracts me, which is easier for me to think, which I love to think about it. So for some, Krishna or some Rama, for example, Tulasi Dasa, Hanuman. He says, Hanuman did not even like Vishnu's form. So, Gopala's Ma, I don't know what she would have done if suddenly Rama appeared. But they know it inside their heart, is the same Rama, same Ramakrishna, who has become my Gopala, my इष्टदेवता. But that is why भीजा is different, form is different, description is different. Various इष्टदेवता's have got various forms. But what is called नईवचिन्त्यम्? First of all, one should not think इष्टदेवता is an object and I am this object. This is our usual condition. We start our spiritual life, where is God? Somewhere there, high above in the sky or heaven, not here. But later on we say the same one is here also, but he is separate from me. That is why there is a kind of advanced meditation. At the beginning, when a guru initiates the disciple, he says, you, as if you are sitting in your own heart, in the seat of your heart, and you are facing in front of you and your इष्टदेवता is in front of you. Even if you close your eyes, इष्टदेवता is in front. But when a person had developed sufficient power of concentration, now the roles are reversed. Just like when a manager comes, a clerk gets up from his seat and then a manager sits in that seat and the clerk sits facing him. And the vice president of any company, executive officer comes, the manager sits in front and the executive officer sits in the seat. Like that, the higher the officer, he will occupy the main seat. Similarly, we have to think, God has occupied my heart and he is facing me. That is to show that he is superior to me and I am inferior to him. He may be my father and I may be his child. He may be my master, I may be his servant, etc., etc. So this is one way of doing it. Similarly, God should never be thought of as an object. He is the very subject. Subject here means pure consciousness, pure awareness. Without that awareness, it is impossible even to cognize something there. That is what Kena Upanishad, we have seen. So every bhava, every thought that comes in our mind, then that thought itself reveals that the thought is possible for us to think and to know that this is a thought, to witness it is possible. Before that, there should be awareness, consciousness that Chaitanyam should be there. That is what is meant. So God should not be thought of as an object. And then God should not be thought that we have to go beyond likes and dislikes. Both should merge in love. In love, there is no liking or disliking because everything becomes merged in one through liking. It is not like our division. Somebody becomes unlikable and some object becomes likable. So this is what is relevant. Forget about God as an object. He is the very subject. In fact, our body, including our mind, which is meditating should be thought of as an object. This is called the reversal of the role. God is in my heart. I am outside it, facing it. That is what Nachachintyam. And God should never be thought about with dislike because we are all slaves to likes and dislikes. And why does the Rishi tell us God should not be thought with liking, God should not be thought of as with dislike? Because what happens, you know, when we are full of desires and we pray to God and then sometimes he fulfills. Then what do we say? I like you very much. So like children just before Christmas, on Christmas day, Mommy, I love you because I got so many presents from there. Mommy or grandmommy or whatever it is. And then sometimes God seems to be hating me. He seems to be doing exact opposite of what I don't want he gives me. So there was a Swami who did not like doing puja. It so happened wherever he went, accidentally or purposefully, he always ended up in doing puja only. I don't know what would be his meditation upon Sri Ramakrishna especially at the time of doing puja. Now what are we talking about? We all develop likes and dislikes. So first point is we should not think of God as an object. We should not even think of God as a subject because as we discussed in the Mandukya Karika, the mind cannot exist without object. Object also cannot exist without the mind. Both prove each other. So one should rise. But in the beginning, I am the object, God is the subject. And always God should be thought as only with tremendous liking, loving actually. Even that dislike also in a higher stage becomes a play of devotion. That is what is said in the first half of the second line, Paksha Paata Viner Muktam Brahma. Brahma should be thought of as what? Paksha Paata Viner Muktam. There is no likes and dislikes. He is beyond that because he is one. So what is the first Naivachintyam? Should not think of him as an object. Rather start thinking of him as a subject. What is the second meaning? Should not be thought of him as subject to likes and dislikes. Sometimes I like him, sometimes I don't like him. And Nachachintyam. One should rise above the Sita, Ushna, Sukha, Dukha, Jaya, Apajaya, Mana, Apamana. But they will be there. How do we deal with them? As if God had willed. My child, this is like obstacle course for those who are being trained for long distance runners. So like that we have to think always. We should never think with dislike. And we should always think as a subject, not as an object. Nachintyam. And then finally we think of God with so many qualities. And then we think what Ramanujacharya says. He is an ocean of infinite auspicious qualities. But what about the negative qualities? Because if you mention one quality, it will have both sides. Good as well as evil. He is both good and evil. Because there is nothing else besides God. He is only manifesting as the Satvaguna, as the Rajoguna, as the Tamoguna. So what is the fourth Chintyam? Bhagavan or Brahman should be thought about as directed by the scriptures only. And what do the scriptures summarize about God? Paksha Pata Vinirmuktam. He has no likes and dislikes because He is everything. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma. That is the meaning. The supreme state or Brahman is neither to be thought of as being something external, object or pleasing to the mind, nor unworthy to be thought of as something unpleasant to the mind. This is dislikes. Second, nor is it to be thought of as being an object of sense pleasure. So most of us, we approach God only to obtain something from Him. So He is like the mother cow, who will give their milk and from which we have to… So the cow also gives cow dung and it also gives birth to so many bulls who can be used for ploughing. So it is a utility shop, free utility shop. I will just offer something and no, one should not think of it. Then how Brahman should be thought of? So many qualities are there. We are going to get them in the next few shlokas also. So to be thought of as the essence, that is pure Chaitanyam. Ever manifest, is beyond time, eternal, supreme bliss. Sat, Chit, Ananda, Sarupa. And then one who practices this, he attains that Brahman. How? That Brahman which is free from all partiality, differentiation is attained in that state. That is how we have to think about it. And this is a subject which has been elaborately discussed. So in the Katha Upanishad, Kena Upanishad we get, In fact, Brahman cannot be thought about because whatever we are experiencing in this world, all those things only we might attribute to Brahman, but Brahman is far above that. Mind cannot think. At the same time, the only instrument by which we can think of God, worship God, go on pilgrimages and read, study scriptures only through a purified mind, cultivated as a result of satsanga, discrimination and solitude, etc. In the Kena Upanishad, we get, He is the real hearer. He is the real thinker, only thinker. And He is the real speaker. And He is the life of life. And the eye cannot reach. And then the speech cannot reach. The mind also cannot reach. And then the teacher in the Kena Upanishad tells, So we don't know and we also cannot teach. Because that which is beyond description. And yet, how did you get this knowledge? Because they found out there are certain words which convey a different meaning than the normal meaning. So words are necessary. Mind is necessary. Body is necessary. Guru is necessary. What do they do? They point out the truth. That is what He is telling. That is what He said, Whatever is known is not Brahman. And whatever is not known, Brahman is also different from that. And this is what we have heard from our earlier teachers. But yet, they also expounded to us in such a beautiful manner that we can also understand it. So a certain question comes, Is the self an object or the subject? In the beginning, we should make the self as the subject and ourselves, everything else as object. But later on, only the subject. We have to go beyond both, but it has to be attained gradually. Because whatever we do with the lower mind, mind only knows how to objectify. That is called vritti. I see a tree and a tree thought is there. And everything I objectify. God also I objectify. Self also I objectify. So that which is beyond subject and object can never be objectified at all. But to illustrate it, Swamiji, Mayanandaji is a beautiful illustration. Imagine, it is a dark night, Amavasya day, pitch dark. You can't see anything. You are carrying a powerful torch. And the torch is giving beautiful, brilliant light. And suddenly a thought will come, See, what is it that can give this light? What is making this torch give light? Then you understand. Let me open the torch and take out the batteries and then see whether they are giving. You cannot see because the moment you take out the batteries, then you can neither see anything and nor batteries also. So if you take out that pure chaitanyam, which is called chit or in our case chidabasa, we can't see anything else. And the second good question that comes is, Can we think of something unknown? Not possible. So is it, is Brahman unknown, well known or less known? For that Kena Upanishad gives, it is always known. Every thought reveals and yet remains completely unknown. It reveals, I am here, I am here. And that which we are searching for is that real I. As they say, there is an animal, it is called Kasturi Muruga. I don't know what they call it in English language. Musk deer, it is called musk deer. And from its navel, one of the most intoxicating fragrance comes out. And it doesn't understand, it's coming from itself. And then it is running, running mad to get more of it. And in the process gets harmed or injured or even dies also. Like a deer running after mirage. So is the self, is a well-known, a very well-known because all the time we are using I, I, I. It is completely unknown because this I is completely identified with body, mind. And we are less known. So by scriptures, etc., we come to know a little bit about it. Intellectual idea is there. So is the self different from me? Then it becomes an object. Saguna Brahma is always different from me. But when I attain to Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Nirvichara Samadhi, then there is no question of I or Brahman, whatever you call, that is the ultimate pure Chaitanya. The, but why should we seek something which is so difficult even to describe? Because we are all seeking what? Ananda, bliss which is unbroken all the time. So man saves somebody for Ananda. Man kills somebody for Ananda. We eat food for Ananda. And we also eat poison for Ananda only. Whatever we do, ultimate goal is only Ananda. And we want something which never changes. But where do we get that one? In none of the objects. By definition, every object is changing and changeable because they are subjected to time, space and causation. That's why many times I mentioned, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajnamalkya Maitreyi dialogue. In that dialogue, Yajnamalkya teaches that the self is the dearest one, most dear one. And in fact, we don't love anything else excepting our own self. And whichever object brings us, reflects our own self more closely, more intimately, more elaborately, we love that object. We don't love the object. We love our own self. But we love this object as an instrument and nothing else. Everything is an instrument. Husband and wives are instruments. Children are instruments. Money, house, vehicles, everything, instruments only. So every being loves everything in this world only for the sake of the self. And when I love myself, there is no restriction, no limitation, no condition. Unconditional, unlimited, absolute love because I am absolute bliss. So there was one great saint in Maharashtra. So he was called Samartha Ramdas. And then he says a very intriguing type of paradoxical language. Without becoming a thinker, think of that which cannot be thought of. Without becoming a thinker, think of that which cannot be thought of. So I am not the thinker. Means do not identify with the mind. And with such a mind, think of that which cannot be thought of. But how can I think of that which cannot be thought of? That can only be done only through the teachings of the Guru. And that description will be coming very soon. And what is the first such description? Paksha Pata Inirmuktam Brahma. Brahma is completely incapable of partiality. Why? Because even if it wants to be partial, there is no second towards which it can be only partial. And we cannot say I am partial to myself. We can never say. I can say I am partial to my right eye or to my right leg or whatever. But we can never be saying partial to Chaitanyam because it is only one. The self is impartial. This is what Bhagavad Gita always says. There is no killer. There is no killed. And there is no other object. And that is expressed beautifully. Samadarshi means not seeing many things but seeing Brahman alone. That is called Samadarshi. So meditate on the Self. Let us meditate on the Self as I am that infinite truth or the Self which is the subtlest beyond the body and mind, speech and thought. And this is the only means to Self-realization. What is the means? To meditate upon the Self as described in the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, etc. But then is everybody capable of that? No. This is the goal. But to achieve to that goal, to attain to that maturity where we can think of the description given just now, we have to start from a lower rung. That is described in the 7th. One should duly practice concentration on Aum through the means of its component letters A, U and Ma. Then once we become experts in meditating through this Akara, Ukara, Makara, then meditate on Aum going beyond the letters without regard to its letters. Finally, upon realization, when we succeed in becoming experts in both Swara and Aswara, with this later form of meditation on Aum, the idea of non-entity that is Oneness with Brahman is attained. It is not an entity. It is not even non-entity. Non-entity means anything that is beyond body-mind is called non-entity. Now, we have already completed the three chapters of the Mandukya Upanishad, which gives a hint. You know, many times some Upanishad borrows some particular concept, puts it in its own language, but the elaboration, the details we get in the other. And those who study the Upanishads, they understand where is this leading to. For example, Shankaracharya, he had what is called encyclopedic knowledge. So he has studied all the Upanishads. He remembers everything at his fingertips like your super AI. Tremendous amount of Ekashruti Dhara. And then whenever these things come, immediately he goes, Oh, in that Upanishad, it is said like that. In the other Upanishad, it is said like that. About Aumkara, many Upanishads describe. And here it is said Swara means here. There are so many meanings for this word Swara. So those who are practicing music, Sari, Gama, Padani are called Swaras also. So, but in Vedantic language, it means Aumkara. Aumkara is the combination of three syllables A, O and MA. That is where the sound box starts making sound to the wind that is coming from the lungs. The first is A and when it goes to the middle part of the sound box, it returns into O and when it comes to the lips, by touching the lips, we get M like that. And then our Bhagawan, Gaudapadacharya and Shankaracharya, both of them have given A should be equated to the waking state. And O is to be equated with the dream state. And M should be equated with the deep sleep or what is called Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti states. And what is it? They are always changing. One changes into the other. When one changes into the other, one negates the other completely. So dream negates waking. Waking negates the dream. And in deep sleep, both waking and dream are completely negated. But Shri Ramakrishna says when you strike a gong, then M like that is called Amatra, unsounding sound. That M that is called, what does it mean? It is neither Jagrat nor Swapna nor Sushupti but that which is unchanging. I move from the waking. I move into the dream. I move into the deep sleep. Again, I move. I am not changing. I am there experiencing each state with whichever state is functioning at that time. But the I is not changing. That I is indicated as Turiya. This is also called Avastha, Traya, Vilakshana, completely separate. So first one has to do as Guru teaches Akara, Ukara, Makara and then identify them with all our experiences. All human experiences fall under waking, dream and dreamless. And when we understand finally through meditation, through Viveka discrimination, we find that everything is changing. But everything depends upon I which is unchanging. The psychology I explained that which is changing can be cognized only by something that is unchanging. So first practice this. Then next step, higher step, Aspar, Asvaram. What is Asvaram? That Umm, unsounded sound, Bhavayet, Param. It is superior to all this. We have to identify ourselves. That is me. I am that Chidabhasa. And slowly this Abhasa transforms itself into pure Chit. So this is what is said in the first part of the second line. Asvarena Anubhavena. When we become experts in practicing Asvara, that is to say Aham Brahmasmi, intellectually. Then it ends in, culminates in Brahmakara Vritti. That Brahmakara Vritti is indicated here. Asvarena Anubhavena. Then once I reach there, a final transformation takes place. The mind itself breaks down or removes even that last meditation or Vritti. Then what happens? Abhavaha, Bhavavahishyate. There is, you cannot describe Bhavaha, existence. Abhavaha, nonexistence. Bhava is real. Abhava is unreal. Nothing can be spoken about it, thought about it. And that state is completely expressionless. Bhuje jyaar bhuje. Swamiji in his song of this Samadhi, he says those who experienced, they only know it can Mano Vah Ago Charam. That it can never be, what is called, expressed in words. And then again, hint is given in the eighth mantra, three particular, what is called, Parabrahma. Not Saguna Brahma, but Nirguna Brahma. So what is this Saguna Brahma? We will come to that. So eighth mantra goes like this. Tadeva nishkalam brahma, nirvikalpam niranjanam, tad brahma aham iti jnatva, brahma sampadhyate dhruvam. Earlier, brahma sampadhyate thada, here, brahma sampadhyate dhruvam. Dhruvam means for eternity. Once that realization comes, there is no more sadhana, and no more falling down, no more forgetting. It is the eternal, dhruvam. So how to meditate? Remember, this is also for what we call the very very highly advanced people and nobody else. Tadeva nishkalam brahma, nishkalam. Kalam means part, but nishkalam means partless. Brahman can never be with full parts. So that is called nishkalam brahma. And whatever we are seeing, it is nanatva, mininess. Almost uncountable things are there. It is all as if parts. Just you imagine a huge ocean and billions and billions of waves, wavelets, bubbles and small, tiny, weeny weeny waves are coming. And so, but there is water. Everything is water. Nothing but water. So if we look at it in broken way, that is called waves, big pieces, big waves, tsunamis, small waves, then still smaller bubbles and still smaller bubblets, etc. etc. Nishkalam brahma, nirvikalpam, savikalpam we know. There is, you have heard definitely, savikalpa samadhi, nirvikalpa samadhi, savikalpam. That is to say, different thoughts are there. But different thoughts, but one particular subject, one particular object. For example, take mango. It is round and it is oval shape. It is of yellow color. It is of sweet, mango has a distinct fragrance and then it has its own special sweetness. And it is, the thing is, every particular mango species has its own specialized fragrance. Like people can smell wine and can predict from which part of the world, from which soil grapes are grown and from that grapes, this particular wine is made. But here it is also nirvikalpam. There is no nirvikalpam. That means when one goes beyond thoughts, that is beyond the mind. Now one has to think, at least intellectually we have to think. And niranjana, because this brahman is partless. And anjana means stain. Niranjana means stainless. And what can be stainless to, for one object to become stainful, it must come into contact some other object. For example, water comes into contact with dirt, dust or sugar or salt, something other than that. But brahman, earlier we said nishkalam. Therefore, it must be niranjana. Sri Ramakrishna used to talk about Niranjan Maharaj Swami, niranjanananda, his very name. My niranjan has no anjana, not even a little bit of stain is there. So brahman is to be meditated upon, not merely thought about, but deeply meditated upon as partless, that means infinite, and as nirvikalpam, that means beyond the mind, niranjanam, completely stainless means shuddha, nitya, shuddha, buddha, chaitanyam. Tat brahma, such a type of brahma, aham, iti jnatva, this meditation culminates first into savikalpa, then nirvikalpa, first to savichara, into nirvichara, then when a person goes beyond even savikalpa, savichara, brahma sampadhyate dhruvam, for eternity he understands his identity with brahman and that realization is dhruvam. Otherwise, just like we come down from meditation and sometimes we come down so down that there is no correlation between what we meditated upon and how we are behaving, our character, but here it is completely, absolutely oneness, there is no coming down at all. That is what is, these are the some hints and another five hints are given even for that that is something which is not nirguna, not necessary, not saguna, but that which is beyond saguna, but remember here whatever is beyond saguna we can never think about it. Even this thinking of the supreme reality in all these qualities is only opposite qualities like when we are tending to think about darkness, think about light. When we are thinking about negative thoughts, make them positive. When we are filling our mind with unhappy thoughts, make them positive. Like that, really speaking, brahman can never be thought of. That is why Shri Ramakrishna says brahman is ever unpolluted, but what does it mean? Anything that can be thought and anything that can be thought is polluted because whatever is thought about alone comes through the mouth in the form of sounds or speech. So that is why brahman can never be thought about, therefore he cannot be expressed, therefore he remains completely unpolluted. So five more added, nirvikalpam, that is now no vikalpam. Earlier he said it is only repeating that one. Anantancha is infinite, heartless really, nishkalam, anantam, so vikalpam, nirvikalpam. Then we need some examples how to think about it. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult. That is why he says, hetu drishtanta varjitam. If I want to give you some example, drishtanta means an example, something like, oh that person is very good person, he always serves the needy and the poor people, very loving person, etc. This is understandable, but brahman is alone. Nobody had ever seen. And earlier also we have discussed while discussing the mandukya karika, what is called to think about even much less to express. We require what is called shabdas, the sounds, that is jati, guna, kriya, rudhi, sambandham. Five expressions must be there. There must be first of all jati, some species. Either this is a tree, I don't know what it is, but I know it is a tree. So some amount of knowledge will come. Nirguna, this person is expert driver, some guna is there. So we can, is a short person, is a tall person, is a fair person, is a not such a fair person, etc. So that is called guna. Then kriya, kriya means he is a cook, he is a driver, he is a doctor, he is a lawyer, or whatever housewife, whatever it is, he is a sportsman, etc. So what activities we can say. And then there is what is called sambandha. What is sambandha? Relationship. This is my uncle, this is my son, this is my enemy, even that is a samparka. So like that we can say. Or rudi, you know the brightest shining star in the, or what is called sky, that is called the sun, or that is called the moon, or the brightest star, whatever you call it. This is some kind of thing which everybody knows about it, but they may not know exactly what is the name, etc. Everybody's experience and only one. That is called rudi. So any object if we want to describe, we have to use these five kinds of shabda pravrutti. But brahman is unthinkable, much less describable. Description also not possible. Even thinking is not possible. And therefore, how to give an example? So only negative. Nirvikalpa is negative. So anantam is also negative. Because everything is limited by three things. Kaala, desha and vastu. This is called parichcheda. Kaala parichcheda, desha parichcheda, vastu parichcheda. And aprameyam. Anything in this world can be measured. We can obtain knowledge. If there is a beautiful color, then I can see through my eyes, with the help of the light of course. And then I say, oh it is such a distance is there. I can measure. I can obtain knowledge. Prameyam means knowledge actually. So it is aprameyam because it is beyond the body and mind. Anadhincha. So at least everything is born. That means time bound. This animal is born two years back. It is a dog. And it naturally, normally, they die at the age of 15 or like that. So it is time bound, space bound. This person is an American. This person is a Chinese, etc, etc. But that which is never born, anadi, beginningless. And it is endless also. But these are some of the hints that are given. Yatknatva, mucchate, buddhaha. Buddhaha means a wise person. He meditates because the guru gives certain hints. This is how you will have to meditate. He will give a few nearest examples like the ocean, like the endless space, etc. Say Ramakrishna, as we know, used to take people to one particular small pond, lake or you can say big lake. And then there were so many fish swimming joyfully. So he used to say a person in deep meditation on Brahman should be moving about like the fish with the tremendous joy because the fish have no fear that somebody is going to come and kill. That complete sense of security is there. So having meditated, what happens? The person becomes one with Brahman. That is expressed here. Yatknatva, that is Brahma gnatva. So knowing that Brahman. As I said, knowing means attaining identity with Brahman. Buddhaha mucchate. He becomes free because Brahman is free. I am Brahman, so I am free. There are some beautiful meanings are there. We will talk about it in our next class. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.