Bhagavad Gita Ch15 part 13 on 14 August 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Arthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadogaho Dogdha Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetha Mritam Mahat Mokam Karoti Vachalam Pangum Langhayate Girim Yat Kripatam Aham Vande Paramanandam Adhavam We are studying this most marvelous chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, 15th chapter called Purushottama Yoga. In our last class, we have dealt with two particular shlokas describing the Akshara Purusha, that which is beyond Akshara and Akshara, Uttama Purusha. He who comprises both the Akshara and Akshara. In the 17th verse, the Lord is clearly telling, after giving an introduction, in which Krishna divided the entire universe into three parts, Akshara, Akshara and Uttama Purusha, that which is beyond infinite, but which contains both Akshara and Akshara. What does it mean? There is another being and it is the highest and it is called the Supreme Self, Uttama Purusha, who as the immutable pervades all the three worlds and sustains. In simple words, he is the creator, he is the sustainer as well as he is the dissolver. Now before we go further, I would like to add a note here that whenever we experience anything, we experience two types of differences. First of all, we see there is a tree, for example, an animal, a bird, an insect, a human being, etc. Then within each one of these species, there are almost infinite varieties, not really infinite, but beyond count. And within each individual, there is that marvelous differences are there. For example, here is a baby and he is a child, then he is an adolescent, he is a youth, middle aged, old age, decayed, diseased, healthy and finally death will be there. So everything we perceive is changing. Now earlier also I mentioned that there are three important words we have to remember. One word is called Sathyam, that which alone was, is and will be and it is immutable. Mutable means changeable, immutable, it is avyayaha, imperishable. But what about the world? That's what the Lord said, the world can be divided into again two categories, Kshara and Akshara. What is Kshara? Kshara means everything is changing, but it doesn't mean destruction. Perishable is the English translation of the word Kshara. By that word perishable, even by this word death, subject to death. Death is a change, that is a very important Vedantic concept. Just as birth is a change, growth is a change and old age is a change, death also is a change. What does it mean? That which, that object which undergoes these things, it doesn't become non-existent, but it changes its form and so there is no real destruction. There is no something called non-existence. So pure existence and something, we use the word non-existence, but such a thing never exists at all, but seemingly existing, seemingly changing. That is the meaning of the word Kshara. We have to keep a note of it, nothing becomes non-existent, but it changes. Is this change real? There also the Advaita Vedantic view is no, it's not really changeable. It appears to be changing. Gaudapada deals with this subject very beautifully and he says you take a stick which is glowing, there is only one glowing tip, but if you whirl it round and round, you can make a circle and if you move it fast enough, it gives the illusion that there is a square, there is a circle, there is a triangle, you can create a man, a dog, etc., etc. In Vedanta, there is nothing which becomes non-existent, but seeming existence according of course to Advaita Vedanta. So Bhagavan Krishna had divided, earlier we have seen, the whole universe into two. What are that? Kshara Purusha, that which is continuously undergoing change, modifications and that which is continuously witnessing the change in the form of Kotastha Purusha, that's what he called Akshara Purusha. Akshara means imperishable, Kshara means perishable. That word perishable is an unfortunate word because it brings wrong connotations to our mind. So we say changeful, everything is changeful and Akshara, Jeevatma, it never changes because it is continuously witnessing, following the law that to cognize something is changing, that cognizer should never be changed, he cannot change. A non-changing cognizer alone can take note of changes, any change that takes place. So this is the important word that we have to keep in mind. So there are two things, one is continuously changing and another is continuously unchanging but witnessing called Kotastha also, that is called Jeevatma. One, that which is changing is called the perishable thing, Kshara Purusha. It is very interesting to note, even when it is, Bhagawan Krishna is using the word Kshara, he adds Purusha, Purusha means that which can never be changed. That means a Purusha who seems to be changing is Kshara Purusha and another Purusha who seems to be unchanging, that is in the form of Jeevatma, that is another Purusha, Akshara Purusha. But the real truth is that which is appearing as changing and unchanging both, it's a play of the mind but really it doesn't change at all. The substratum, the Adhishtana can never change and that is what very most important, that third Purusha, now again I have to sound a note of caution. The moment you say Kshara Purusha number 1, Akshara Purusha number 2, Uttama Purusha number 3, these numbers like Jagrat, Swapna, Sushukti and Turiya, these are not really numbers. One seemingly changing, another seemingly unchanging and another is the substratum where this drama, the cinema of seeing, changing, seemingly changing, seemingly unchanging is going on. Just as you know, I will give a small illustration. Always we have to take this illustration, the big lump of salt. What is the illustration? You are watching a movie and then suddenly you see that there is space is there and lots of clouds are moving. What is moving? Lots and lots of clouds, different coloured clouds, different sized clouds against what background? Against the background of Akasha, space. Birds are flying, they are changing but what is my illustration? This is cinema. On the cinema screen, so you take off the screen, everything disappears. Keep the screen, then only you see. So the unchanging space, the changing objects against to that background of the space and the screen which is manifesting, making itself completely invisible, unknowable as it were, I do not exist, we see only the space, sky, we see the clouds but without that background, it's impossible. Before this cinema projection was done, screen was there. After the cinema is over, screen will still be there. What about during the projection? The screen will always be there. Without the screen, we cannot see anything at all but it becomes invisible as it were but even though it is there all the time, same screen before, afterwards and in between. I hope this will give this Uttama Purusha, the screen against which the unchanging Jeevatma is experiencing all the changeable objects. If we can grasp this idea, what is the final conclusion? Everything in this world is Paramatma and all the Jeevatmas who are experiencing this huge cosmos is also Jeevatma, he is also only a manifestation of that Paramatma but they are all like movie pictures on the completely unmoving infinite screen called Uttama Purusha Paramatma. So that is what he is going to tell us. Like the screen, there is another Purusha as distinguished from Kshara and Akshara, the perishable and the imperishable and his name is Paramatma and what does he do? Just as the screen or the light pervades every object, the sky also, the space also and every cloud, every object that is seemingly moving, it is the screen only. There is not a separate object called the bird, the clouds, the space etc. So this Paramatma, he pervades Lokatrayam Aavishya. That means he is creating the world, he is sustaining the world. How is he sustaining? This Avyayaha, imperishable, Ishwaraha, ruler, creator, sustainer, Vibharti, he is sustaining. He is the creator, he is the sustainer and he also afterwards withdraws all these things into himself as it were. So that is the essence of the 17th verse. Then we also dealt with 18th. Same idea but slightly elaborated in this 18th verse. As I transcend both the perishable and also I am higher even than the imperishable. I am extolled in this world, well known in this world and in the Vedas also as the supreme self. That is what he is telling Purusha Uttamaha. This word Purusha Uttamaha, Purusha, Purusha means he who pervades everything and Uttamaha means this is the final word, the infinite Purusha, the eternal Purusha because infinity and eternity means changeless beyond time and space. I am called Purusha Uttamaha. Why is he called Purusha Uttamaha? Because I contain the Kshara Purusha which is the entire experienceable objective universe. I also contain the Jivatma who is experiencing as an unchangeable consciousness but limited by the Upadis, limiting agents. So in this world there are only two things, not billions of things, the experiencer and the experienced. And finally this distinction between the experiencer and the experienced, both of them are nothing but the pure Paramatma. I gave the illustration earlier. When you, the one person lies down on a bed and goes and dreams, what are you doing? You are creating a dream world, Swapna Prapancha and there you created yourself as the experiencer and the entire world, any number of people, birds, animals, trees, plants, rivers, oceans, sky, pancha bhutas, etc. Everything and you and everything you experience, experiencer and experienced, subject and object. And then you think everything, I am separate, you are separate, he, she is separate, everything is separate from everything else. But you wake up, as soon as you wake up you understand, I myself have created this entire universe. Who sustained it? You sustained it. How long did you sustain it? Until you woke up. So this is a marvellous way of understanding this particular 18th verse in the form of understanding the dream. So the Purushottama, the Brahman, the Paramatma also called Ishwara, he creates both the experiencer and the experienced. But without me there will be neither the Jivatma nor the Jagat. Jiva and Jagat are absolutely one and the same. And what am I called? Purushottama. Why is this explained? So that each one of us must understand the Jagat also is Paramatma, I am also Paramatma, there is nothing other than Paramatma, there is nothing other than Sat, Chit and Ananda. So that is what we have to understand. So what happens when a person truly understands, even intellectually, a Sadhaka goes on practising, goes on discriminating, goes on eliminating all the differences. What is Sadhana? Elimination of differences. Another way of looking at it, elimination of differences. Another way of looking at it, removing all undesirable thoughts and having only desirable thoughts. How many desirable thoughts should be there? Only one, because the desirable object is only one. Even when we are desiring any number of worldly objects, we are only actually after only one desire. What does it mean? It means, you know, a man says, I want to eat sweet. Does he want sweet? No. He wants happiness through that sweet. I want savoury. Does he want savoury? No. I want that happiness to enjoy, to be happy. Then why does he want savoury? Because sweet enhances the taste of savoury and savoury enhances the taste of the sweet. This contrast is necessary. So everything is contrasted. Good and evil and gain and loss, victory and defeat, hunger as well as satiation of the hunger. So waking state, dream state, dreamless state, everything has only one purpose. What does a Jeeva want to do in waking state? I want to be happy. What does he want in the dream state? I want to be happy. And what does he do in the deep sleep state? I am happiness. Instead of saying I want happiness, he will experience unbroken happiness. That's why that state, deep sleep, is called Sushupti, Ananda Maya Kosha. I slept well. I was so happy. I became completely relaxed. I am ready again to enter into the waking and dream state. Why do you want to enter? So that I can be prepared again to go into that Sushupti state. Here is a dependency. If somebody says I will not work hard, he will neither have good sleep nor good dreams. Nothing will happen. We have to pay for everything. Hard work is the payment. So Jeeva doesn't want anything. He has only one desire. I want to be, I want to know and I want to be happy. And these three in one, one in three, is the only one desire. Not thousands of desires. But he thinks that he wants many things but everything has to be squeezed in the form of happiness. This is what is said. When a person, through the grace of Guru, through the grace of scripture and through the grace of the mind and through the grace of God, this is also a wonderful point. When we are in earnestness, as a result of many many lives of leading a life according to the directions of the scriptures, the first part of the scriptures called righteous life, dharmic life, then mind becomes pure. What does it mean? It understands that many things are worthless. Only one thing is worth and that is God. Having obtained that one, the moment that discrimination comes, it is followed by dispassion. I don't want anything else because everything leads to more suffering. I want only one thing that leads me to unbroken happiness which is in simple terms called God. So having got that one, he becomes, he longs, he becomes, he yearns for that. And then God bestows his grace in the form of the Guru and the Guru's teaching through Sravana, Manana, Nidhidhyasana goes deep inside and he understands better and better. His faith in the scriptures become better and better, deeper and deeper and that brings control of the mind. And control of the mind makes the grace of God come in the form of right understanding. That is what is called Buddhiyogam Dadamyaham. Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat. So that understanding is the only result. What is the understanding? That I belong to God and I am part of God and I am God. Stages. So once he understands that then a sea change, complete change comes into his body, mind and everything. What does he do? This is what the 19th verse is telling us. Yo mam eva asammudaha janati purushottama sarvavid bhajati mam sarvabhavena bharata He who undiluted knows me thus as the supreme self. He knows all, O Arjuna. And he worships me with all his heart. Again, one of the most compressed, zipped and having depths of meaning is 19th verse. This is the first part, first line of the half of the shloka. Yo, that is Bharata, O Arjuna. If he followed my teachings, evam, what does he become? Asammudaha bhavati. He becomes asammudaha. Mudaha means deluded, ignorant. Asammudaha means person of knowledge, right understanding. He becomes. Then what happens? As a result of that, getting rid of the ignorance, mam purushottamam janati. Mam, me, purushottamam, the supreme reality, supreme person, janati. He knows. How does he know? I am that supreme purusha. And this is verified in the last chapter, 18th chapter, when Krishna asks only one question of Arjuna. Did you hear my teaching with alertness, with concentration? If you had, like a patient who follows the prescriptions of the physician, the only way to know he has followed a good physician's instructions, he must be getting rid of his disease. Arjuna also tells categorically, nasto mohaha smriti labdha, tvad prasadamaya achyutah, karishe vachanam tava. There is no two ways about it. My delusion is gone. Now smriti labdha. I obtained the smriti. What is the smriti? Smriti means memory. Earlier we used that word, mattah smritih jnanam apohanam. For me only the gifts of knowledge through experience and memory of my experiences and the art of forgetfulness, all these are tremendous gifts of God. They all belong to me. I bestow them upon a person upon whom I am pleased. And I am pleased upon a person who deserves it, who is ready to receive it. So such a person, purushottamam janati, he knows in what form I am divine, I am part of the divine, I am none other than divine. Then what happens? Sahasravavit. In every possible way, sarvabhavena, in every possible way. So sahasravavit, he becomes sarvavit. Vit means the knower. Knower of what? Sarva, everything. The knower of everything becomes the knower of everything. Sarvajnaha. What is that knowing everything? Everything is nothing but God. I am also one of the everything. So I am also God. Then what happens? Sarvabhavena mam bhajate. In every way, he worships me. What does this word worship mean? If a person has some faith in God, he worships God with rituals, with flowers, with fruits, with offerings. A little more advanced person, he thinks this body belongs to God, this mind also belongs to God, this world also belongs to God, everything belongs to God, so I belong to God. This knowledge is the result of that devotion. So everything, who is eating? Bhagawan is eating. Who is seeing? Bhagawan is seeing. Who is listening? Bhagawan is listening. Who is the guru? Bhagawan is the guru. Who is the disciple? God is the disciple. Recollect, the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna should recollect one of the beautiful, memorable statements of Sri Ramakrishna narrating the story of Shukadeva. Goes and then Shukadeva was sent to Janaka Maharaja. And why did you come? I want to know Brahman. Alright, give me the fee. Guru Dakshina. And Shukadeva said, how come? You have not even started teaching me. You have not even told me that you are going to teach me. And you are demanding the fee. First, that is all, he was practicing credit card. First I will enjoy, then I will pay later on. Janaka said, God doesn't work with credit cards. First pay, then only I might, might not give. So Janaka's beautiful reply was, once I give you this teaching, you will not see that I am the guru and you are the disciple. Who gives to whom? And who taught whom? You might even claim I have taught you instead of your acknowledging that I taught you. So better you give me your fees. This is a funny statement, but profoundly insightful statement. So Sarvabhavena Bhajati. If he is a Tamasic devotee, not very advanced, he takes help of idols, icons and images and worships, goes on pilgrimage. If he is a little more advanced, he sits, does more japa, more dhyana and studies scriptures and he remembers, meditates upon the lotus feet of the guru and merges them in the lotus feet of God and ultimately sitting in the, feeling the presence of God, he meditates. But this is called Rajasic meditation. And when he becomes Sattvika Purusha, then all these things drop off by themselves. He need not give up. Things will give him up. And then his only one knowledge, Sarvatra Samadarshanah. Premarpana Samadarshanah. He becomes imbued with love because he sees none other than his own self. He sees none other than God, who is his own self. Therefore he sees Sarvam Jagat Brahmamayam. Sarvam Re Re Brahmamayam. Sadashiva Brahmendra's kirtana is there. Khelati Brahmande Bhagavan. Paramatmaham Paripurnoham. So what does this Sattvika Bhakta do? Simply he remains with that attitude. I am that Aham Brahmasmi. And then whatever happens through his body and mind. We are saying his body and mind. He doesn't say my body and mind. He says my body is also Deho Devalayo Prokto. So Deha is Devalaya. It is a temple. It belongs to God. Because God resides in this temple. God resides in this world. God resides in me. God is only the temple. The one who resides in the temple is also God. The constructor is also God. The worshipper is also God. The one who receives worshipper is also God. This is called Sarvabhavena. Again we can take some other meaning. We can see Shri Ramakrishna's life. So sometimes when devotees are there, he goes to the mother's temple. And before climbing up, he takes off his shoes. And then he climbs. And very reverently, he will hold his cloth, wearing cloth above his shoulders. And he prostrates. This is to set an example to that kind of devotees who understand only that one. Then one day, when he was at Kasipur, Ramlal Dada, his nephew came. And then Ramlal Dada asked Shri Ramakrishna, Don't you long to see Dakshineshwar where you lived for such a long time? Shri Ramakrishna instantaneously, spontaneously, he says, Why? He is not mother here. That is, he sees the same divinity everywhere. And one day in Kasipur, I think in Shampu, it was Kali Puja day. Ramakrishna asked some devotees that you make arrangements for the worship of Mother Kali. And they thought, perhaps Ramakrishna wants to do a simple worship. He was very sick at that time. But every arrangement was made. Flowers, sandal paste, fruits, everything was there. But everybody was sitting quiet. And everybody is wondering, Shri Ramakrishna gave an insight into Girish Chandragupta's mind. Immediately he jumped up. Jai Maa Kali. He took the flowers and poured at the feet of Shri Ramakrishna. In an instant, Ramakrishna assumed the figure of Mother Kali with his human hands. There he first, he says, God is going to the temple. God is in the temple. God is in holy places. And God is everywhere. Third, I am that God. So, according to the will of God, if such certain kinds of people come, this Jeevan Mukta, living free, worships God according to the understanding of those Tamasic devotees, according to the attitude of the Rajasic devotees, according to the Sattvika devotees. Sarva Bhavena. Sarva Bhava means seeing God everywhere, whatever he does. So, Whatever I do. When I am eating, you are eating. When my legs are moving, it is circumambulating you. When my hands are moving, I am dancing. When I am speaking, I am praising you. When I am singing, again I am worshipping you. So, Through the mind, through the speech, through the body, everything becomes worshipful. With this, the 15th chapter is over. But there is one last shloka. Having completed it, what did he say in the 19th? Arjuna, the goal of every spiritual sadhaka is to see me everywhere, in every way, and worship me in every way. And how to worship, that is elaborated in the next chapter. But the Lord concludes, So, some people may have doubt. Okay, sir. Okay, Bhagawan. You have taught the whole thing. I think, at least something I have understood. But what do I gain by this? What is the result? What is the phala of this sadhana? That is what Bhagawan is wrapping up. He says, By knowing it, man becomes wise, O Bharata, and fulfills all his duties. Very beautiful word. It's a word called, last word, I will come to that. Bhagawan is addressing Arjuna as Anagha. Anagha means sinless. Sinless means pure. Pure means, he who completely surrenders to God and does only what God, what the devotee thinks God is pleased with, that only I will do. And whatever God I know is not pleased with, I will not even think about it. Such a person is called Anagha. Pure-minded person. In such a mind, truth flashes. Bharata, that means, Arjuna, another name. Iti. Now, I am concluding this. Iti is often used in Sanskrit to indicate a completion of either a paragraph, or a chapter, or a book. Here it is the 15th chapter. I am teaching you this Gusha means secret. Sacred. Tama means most secret. Shastra means here, teaching, spiritual teaching. I am giving you. Mind you, these are not ordinary words. This is the greatest secret I told you. And then, what do we gain? One who understands it. What does he become? We have to supply that word Bhavati. He becomes the most intelligent person. Who is intelligent? According to Sri Ramakrishna, he who can love God and obtain Moksha, that is called intelligence. And everything else is worldly intelligence. So, knowing this most sacred as well as secret scripture, and one can understand only when one practices and to the extent one practices, all the characteristics that have been enumerated in this very chapter, in the 2nd chapter, in the 6th chapter, in the 12th chapter, in the 13th chapter, and going to come in the future chapters also, practicing them, slowly, the man gets rid of all impurities. The more, the less the impurities, the more is the light. The more is the light, the more is the understanding. The more is the understanding, ultimately, every understanding culminates in one understanding that I am Divine. What does he become? Then he becomes free. And this is indicated by this word Krita Kritya Syag as if he had done everything in this world. Krita Kritya means Kritya means that which must be done. It is imperative sense. Imperative means you have to get up and you have to brush your teeth. Then you have to attend your school or your office at by this time. It is not an option. If you want to catch an aeroplane, a bus, a train, you will have to reach at this particular time. They don't go according to your wish. Unless you are in India and unless you are a powerful MLA or MP or a minister, then everything will wait for you. But this will not happen usually in the advance what is called developed western countries. So what happens? Krita Kritya. That is Kritya means whatever the scripture ordains, do it. Shashati Iti Shastraha Scripture is one which commands do this and don't do this. Now every action gives its own particular result. You drink coffee gives one result. Drink liquor gives another result. Drink poison gives another. So if you want different results, you will have to do many different activities. But here the Lord is saying that as if at once a man has done infinite amount of actions and he got what result? Infinite result. What is the infinite result? I got the infinity because God is infinite and I got it not for a short time. I got God for eternity. Infinity and eternity. That is the result of performing every action. Divided action gives divided fruit. But undivided wholesome action gives only wholesome fruit which is God realization. With this 15th chapter according to me one of the most marvelous chapters in this whole Bhagavad Gita in the whole of scriptures I would say is over by God's grace. Now I will give you a brief summary of the 15th chapter. This 15th chapter has got 20 shlokas, 20 verses. It is one of the two shortest chapters in this Bhagavad Gita. One is the 12th chapter called Bhakti Yoga which has 20 and here is 15th chapter which has 20 shlokas are there. Now many people learn it. Why? Because especially monks renouncers when they are given a feast this recitation of this 15th chapter is a must. That is one reason and second reason, funny reason, in a feast normally more than what one usually eats and very special dishes are served like rice pudding, sweets, special fruits, etc. and to digest them we need the help of Bhagawan. So the Lord confirms whoever takes my name I assist him by digesting his food in the form of Whatever type of food you have eaten I will help you assist. So it is an unspoken prayer, O Lord out of greediness, out of my desire for eating many tasty things I have over eaten, please help me to digest because it is only in your name the feast is given. Secondly, this is one of the shortest chapters, easy to memorize. Third, but the most important reason is that this chapter is the essence of every scripture in this world. The essence of all the Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads and Bible, Koran everything is comprised in this. So we already have seen that one but in summary I will give you. So we can divide the whole 20 slokas into 5 topics. What is the first topic? A Lord is describing the creation of this world, Samsara Pannana this worldly life. What is the description? That the whole world is created by God and whatever like a pot is created out of clay so everything is imbued with divinity so if the effect is, if the cause is divine, the effect also will be divine, whatever is the effect that must partake the very nature of the cause. If God is the cause, God is Satchitananda, a whole world cannot be different from Satchitananda therefore not only every object in this world which is experienced the experience of Jeeva both are nothing but God because the cause of both is none other than that Paramatma. When the Lord compared the world with a big tree and with this huge tree, roots are above meaning they are coming from God and there are billions of branches are there, billions of birds are sitting, we are all different types of birds and this yields raw fruit and a little ripe fruit, a little more riper fruit and very sweet fruit at different stages, different birds sitting at different levels, that means different lokas, branches are compared to 14 lokas, they go on enjoying the bitter or sweeter fruits, why do they enjoy bitter or sweet? Because of their own past karma, so the analogy like ... So slowly when you eat bitter fruit you become a little more discriminative and you give up what causes unhappiness and hop up a little bit and thus slowly progress and ultimately reach Paramatma who is like the bird who is perched on the uppermost branch, who is none other than your own self, this is the first topic, then what is the second topic? I told you Arjuna that the whole world and including the Jivatma is the creation of Ishwara, God whose nature is divine so world also is divine Jivatma is also divine but if I tell you you will not believe me to understand that what I told you is the highest truth, you will have to perform certain sadhanas those sadhanas for spiritual disciplines conduce you to spiritual progress and finally to spiritual liberation have been outlined as the second topic and third topic will be that again what is this world who is the Jivatma then he says I created the world, I sustained the world in the form of the sun the moon, the fire and I supply sustenance in the form of food to every creature but in the form of digestive fire thus I again digest, help the Jiva to convert the food into energy from the sun food is supplied, energy is supplied but you cannot have energy but I convert that food again into energy so that you can progress in spiritual life that is the only ultimate purpose, of course from the inorganic to the organic to the one celled to the multi celled and then slowly to worms, then birds then trees, then animals, then human beings etc. as I said we are all, everyone is standing on the escalator called evolution finally evolution will take us to from where we started, from where the evolution started which is God this is the third topic and then the fourth topic is that everything is, the whole world is Brahmanaha of Supreme Lords, Purushottam Atma everything is divine Uttama Purusha, Supreme Reality and the final topic is what do I gain by this, just now as I mentioned that you become liberated from this entire world of this one these are the five topics but I will only take you to that last topic what is it? The Lord says, whatever sadhana you do, it's my grace if you have faith if you have knowledge that's my grace mattah smriti hi jnanam apohanam, from me alone comes this experience is there but do we convert the experience into useful discriminative knowledge for that we require Bhagawan's grace that's why He says that take refuge yatha pravruthi prasrutha purani this timeless, beginningless creation from whom it has come in whom it is being sustained and ultimately whom it realizes, you must surrender yourself totally to that divine reality this is called Sharanagathi and I have to remind you, the greatest exponent not only proponent but exponent, but the greatest propagator of spiritual path is Ramanuja and Sri Ramakrishna's teachings closely follow as far as sadhana is concerned Ramanuja's path first what is? the path of devotion and ultimately the path of devotion must culminate in the path of Sharanagathi complete surrender so every accomplishment of this surrendership must fulfill six conditions SANSKRIT so what is the Sharanagathi? first thing is through lot of lives, the organic inorganic becomes after long long time into a human life there also after many many births he acquires, what is it? three things are available only by God's grace SANSKRIT and human birth is most necessary that's why every scripture lauds that how fortunate we are to be born as a human being do not waste this human opportunity, do not become a donkey, dog so if we look around, see people are making themselves a worst type of, even animals never do this kind of damage, it's only human beings who do, but then we are all potentially divine, we learn our lesson, if you do not come my child through good right means the drugs of drinking, the liquid of misery will ultimately bring you to my own feet I think this was a beautiful poem, written by an English poet, probably was a tailor, I am not sure about it, anyway, so this Sharanagathi, what is it? that I have complete faith in this scripture, and then what should I do, if I have faith I will do what meets the approval of the Lord, Ahno Kolasya what pleases the Lord I take a vow I will not do anything which will displease the Lord I will do everything that pleases the Lord, first step is I will do whatever pleases the Lord, why this is the first step, because giving up must be substituted first by taking recourse to its opposite, Pratipaksha Bhavana is a well known thing if you want to give up a bad habit you can't give up a bad habit you must try to cultivate the opposite good habit, and the more we cultivate this good habit, you don't need to do anything, the bad habit automatically will fall down, that's what is it, the more you advance towards the east the west recedes further, this is one of the important teachings of Ramakrishna, is echoing this Patanjali's Pratipaksha Bhavanam, think of the opposite so, first try to do what pleases the Lord, and that brings the grace of Guru, grace of God, and it will slowly remove the impurities that is what is called Prati Kula Parjanam whatever displeases the Lord slowly falls back, we don't need to do anything, and when I have sufficiently practiced this what happens, then that firm faith that only God is capable of saving nobody else is capable of saving look at this world all the bad news we are getting every minute, who can save, which human being which country, which powerful nation, which powerful leader, has the power, even to remove one billionth of the misery of even a single human being, none only people are talkers, that's all big, big talk, so what are we talking about, here the Lord is talking about the Sharanagati, what is the third step, only God can save Rakshishya Siddhi Vishwasa, Vishwasa means firm faith, then after that, the fourth automatic step is, since only God can save me and the world everybody, I completely choose God as my saviour this is called Sharanagati fourth step, having chosen God, it will not do, that simply saying, going on weeping O Lord, I pray to you so many, so much pujas I have done, and why did this happen to me, why did the other thing happen to my grandson, granddaughter grandfather, grandmother my great grandfather should not have died, how many times I prayed, no this is wrong, what is it completely Atmanikshepa you transfer your entire duties, burden everything onto the shoulders of God, like a baby sit in the lap of the mother and let the mother do everything what does my baby need, everything, etc so this is called Atmanikshepa then after doing after having faith God alone can save that is the third step fourth step is, choosing deliberately that I will not think of anything excepting God, and the fifth step is, I transfer that means, I will never worry, why is the world going like that why is this thing happening in my life, and who is going to help me never, just look at a baby, a baby never thinks, what is going, look at a worm does the worm think what is going to happen next second to me, we can learn lot of lessons from a worm also so complete transference of all my worries all my thoughts, of course it doesn't happen overnight, it takes a long time, so once we have done that, then we look back and say, oh lord I am so happy I am like a baby, and I can play, and I just eat and drink as Sri Ramakrishna used to say my mother knows everything and that feeling all this was possible my birth is because of you my human birth is because of you my guru is because of you my spiritual inclination is because of you my holy company is because of you and my progress in spiritual life is because of you my pitfalls also are because of you because I have learnt lot of lessons and finally my complete surrender to you is also because of you without you, nothing could have been accomplished this feeling of complete humility non-egotistic bhavana attitude is called iti karpanya iti sadvida sharanagati and that is what Sri Ramakrishna also has told us then what is the topic if we can do it, then what happens, that in two verses he says that there afterwards the spiritual aspirant whatever he does is a worship of God because he sees only God and he becomes what krita krityaha his life is blessed, everybody becomes blessed by even hearing about him or seeing him or reading about, following his pictures remembering him, worshipping him, he becomes holy of the holy called tirthi, he creates holy places not only he becomes blessed, he blesses the entire world and that is the end of this cycle so seemingly eternal transmigration this is the end of the 15th chapter, tomorrow we will take up the beginning of the 16th chapter. Om Vasudevasudham Devam Kamsachanuramarthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vikananda bless us all with this Sharanagati Ramakrishna