Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 05 on 08 June 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad which belongs to the Sama Veda. And as I mentioned earlier, chapters 1 to 5 of Chandogya Upanishad which has, really speaking, 8 chapters. The first 5 chapters always enumerate only the Upasanas, Karma Kanda. Chapters 6, 7, and 8, that alone there is an exposition of Atma Gnanam Brahma Vidya. And last time we had spoken about certain very important things. Types of Upasanas. Then we also asked the very fundamental question. Why do we study any scripture? Here I am translating the Upanishad as a scripture. It could be Bible. It could be Koran. It could be Tripitaka. It could be Guru Granth Sahib. Any scripture is a Veda because we are suffering and bound to suffer so long as we are in this world of Maya. That means the body and mind complex. We are bound to suffer from afflictions, sorrows, sufferings. And the causes of these sufferings, sources of these sufferings are of threefold. Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika. And when we cannot tolerate anymore and a desire arises, I have to get out of these limitations. Then he should acquire what is called that Shraddha in the scriptures. And then he should start studying that there is a way out and there is a scripture which talks of how it can show us the path. But for studying the scripture, we must ask four questions. Prayojana, Vishaya, Sambandha, Adhikari, and finally, am I an Adhikari? Who is an Adhikari or a person fit to undertake the study of any scripture? Here it is not reading. Here it is studying. Studying here means not studying but how to transform my life. It is like a patient going to a physician, a doctor. He is not going there to discuss academic matters. He is going there to permanently, if possible, get rid of any affliction, any disease. So am I an Adhikari? And who is an Adhikari? He who has got fourfold qualifications or qualities to some extent to start with. What are they? Discrimination, dispassion, control over body and mind, and a deep desire, intense longing for liberation. So for that purpose, the Sadhaka understands I can never find out the proper way. I require the guidance of a Guru. Then he approaches the Guru and after testing, after verifying, this person is really qualified to receive my teaching. And then he starts. The Guru, the teacher starts teaching. And what does he teach? The Guru starts teaching three things, not four things, not two things, but three things. What are they? Who am I? What's our true nature? That is the first thing. And second, what is the goal of life? Why? Because now at the moment, at present, we are running after hundreds and thousands of purposes are there. We want everything, but all these things cannot be true. There must be only one ultimate purpose of life that is called Moksha. Dharma, Artha, Kama are not separate desires, but they are the desires which by fulfilling alone, we become fit persons to really go after the true purpose of life, which is called Moksha. So this is the second one. And it should not be tepid. It should be intense. And then every individual is different. So the Guru has to have that much of intelligence. Actually, a Guru is none other than God himself. And God only manifests in the form of a right teacher, Sadguru. And he has the intelligence to understand the different natures of people. So he has to give the appropriate, the common goal is same, but the path by which one has to progress towards the goal and reach the goal can be varied. And so, what is the path? And how many paths are there? As we know, there is Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Whatever be the religion, whether it is Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism or Islam or any number of religions that might arise in future, so they all fall under these four. Why do they fall under these four? Because these so-called religions are mere outward expressions of our faculties. And each individual, each one of us have four faculties. That is action, emotion, concentration or willpower and intellect. Not three, not five, but four. Therefore, four yogas only. And every religion emphasizes one particular yoga. That's all. And then, how does the Guru convey that message? He says, In case, O disciple, O student, you are expecting me to teach, I will be in the world and I will also want liberation. That is impossibility. I want to be both in heaven and hell. I want to be both learned and ignorant. I want to be in light and darkness. I want both happy and unhappy. These diametrically opposed experiences are not possible. Why? Because they are totally opposed with each other. And this knowledge of this world has three limitations. We are all limited by time, space and object. We discussed this also. So, limitation is not acceptable by us. Why? Because even though we are unconscious, we know deep in our unconscious state that we are divine, we are infinite, we are limitless, we are eternal, we are beyond any limitation of time, space and object. So, every effort, every desire is only to get out of the limitation. Even though we may not understand it at the beginning, in course of time, and that is called evolution, we will understand. And the Guru also teaches that, you see, who are you? If I ask you who you are, whom do you belong? You can only say, I don't belong to my parents. I belong to God only. Who are you? I belong to God. Each soul is potentially divine. And I belong to God. I came from God. From where have you come? From only God. But what is my present condition? My spruti is gone. My memory is gone. So, I am identified with this samsara. And this samsara consists of three instruments for the purpose of three types of experiences. This is called Shariratraya. The sthula, sokshma, karana, shariras. And it is also called Panchakosha. So, through the gross body and mind and the consciousness, we experience the waking state. Through mind and consciousness, we experience the dream state. And through this consciousness, with very fine form of the body-mind called causal state, we experience the deep sleep state. This is called Avastha Traya. Traya means three. So, Shariratraya. Gross, subtle and causal. And three types of experiences. Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti. Life after life, through billions of lives, this is all. There is a body, there is a mind, there is consciousness. These three together is called Jivatma. And each one of us have three bodies. Does a mosquito have all these three bodies? Yes. Does the mosquito experiences waking dream and deep sleep? Yes. Does the mosquito also experiences that pure consciousness? Yes. Albeit, we think it is albeit, because we are comparing our state to mosquito state. But remember, we have all come from amoebas only. So, what is limited at this stage of amoeba? Slowly, it increases. The capacity increases. What is evolution? The instrument's body-mind becomes more and more complex. Meaning, becomes more and more capable of understanding what is the reality. So, human body is the peak of the evolution of both body and mind. Why do we say so? Because so many human beings have performed sadhana, realized God and still, not even Gods, but only realized souls. And for realization, no more another type of, higher type of body is needed. But this is the human body, more than adequate. That is why, So, the Guru teaches. Because ordinary person does not understand that I have three types of experiences. Each is separate from each other. Every experience in any particular state of experience contradicts, denies, annihilates the other type of experience. There is no uniformity, harmony, consistency. And therefore, which one do you take for real? Are you the gross body, subtle body or causal body? Same thing. We get this in the, we are going to discuss it in the Taittiriya Upanishad. It may take some time, but these are the two marvelous contrasts. That is why, I am moving forth from Taittiriya to Chandogya, Chandogya to Taittiriya. Both have lot of commonality, common point. So, I am only giving, recollecting what I had discussed through so many Upanishads, that certain Paritoshika, technological words. So, Shariratraya, three types of bodies. Why? Each body is an instrument. Each instrument is meant for a particular type of karma or experience. And the same thing, slightly different methodology, they divide it, they call it Panchakosha. In the third chapter called Bhrigu Valli, this Panchakosha Viverna is beautifully given. But when I come to that, we will elaborate. Actually, we have done it so many times during the course of other talks. So, what are the Panchakoshas? Kosha means a sheath. A sheath means a covering. Supposing, you are standing in front of a mirror and you have worn or put up five types of dresses. First dress is above the, let us say, birthday dress. Very, very finest type of dress. And a little coarser dress over that. And still more coarse dress over the second one. And still more coarse. And the last, fifth one, very, very coarse. And then from head to foot, your whole body is covered with that type of five dresses from birth to death. And you stand in front of a mirror. You see, what is our identity? Whatever we are identified with from the very birth, that would be our identity. I am black, I am white, I am short, I am tall, I am fat, I am thin, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, I am a man, I am a woman, I am intelligent, I am unintelligent, I am powerful, I am not powerful. Everything depends upon the body. This is called Anna, Maya, Kosha. Made up of the gross physical body consisting of five organs of knowledge, five organs of soul, inside full of blood, bones, fat, vitamins, etc. That is why it is called Anna. We are walking Annas. When a non-vegetarian, especially who is very fond of chicken, chicken and kitchen are very closely related. So, a person who eats beef, when he sees a very, what is called, fatty cow or bull, his mouth starts watering. So, when we think of any pickle, when we are pricked, our mouth also starts watering. So, it is nothing but Anna. When a tiger looks at me and its mouth starts also watering. But if you young person stand by me, after seeing you, more water comes from its mouth. So, this is called Anna, Maya. Then if we go inside, you remove that outermost dress and stand in front of a mirror. Oh, I thought I was like that. But no, no, I was not like that. I am like this until we reach the third dress. So, the second dress is called Pranamaya. Third dress is called Manomaya. Fourth dress is called Vijnanamaya or Ahankara. And the last dress is called Anandamaya. This is same thing as Shariratraya, but put it in a different analogy. That's all. So, Avasthatraya, Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti. And the Guru also teaches, My son, through this body, if you are the body, you will not really know who you are. Why? Because for some time, you say, you know, everything is changing. Your body is changing. Your mind also is changing. So, whatever is the change, you are identifying yourself with it. I am a baby. So long as the body is like a baby. I am a young person. When you attain youth, I am an old person. When you become, I become old. And we know that every birthday is one year nearer to the butcher's shop. So, to the axe is waiting for us. Everybody, not only cows and other things, but we are also nearing the chopping block. So, this is called Vedanta. It gives us a beautiful name. It is called Shat-Urmi. Urmi means a wave. So, you observe a wave. Always it is traveling. It is coming up. It is spreading. And it is subsiding. And sometimes small waves, sometimes big waves. So, whole life from birth to death, so many changes are taking place. All these changes have been divided into six-fold categories. Asti, first conception. Jayate, then there is a stay. Karthate, then he grows. Viparinamate, and there is a slowly change from youth, middle age, old age. Apakshiyate, and then slowly decay starts. And finally, these are all we can observe. Vinashyate, that we can observe in other people, death is there. Asti, Jayate, Karthate, Viparinamate, Apakshiyate, Vinashyate. Whether we are believers or non-believers, intelligent or dull, or whatever religion, or kings, or paupers, everybody has to go through these things. Every living creature, whether it is from the amoeba to the highest living saint. There is a beautiful saying in Bengali that when Brahman forgets it is Brahman and falls into the identity, I am the Panchabhutas. By the way, Panchabhutas means everybody, everything is made up of Panchabhutas, both living as well as non-living. So it goes on weeping, oh, I have to die. Even growing into youth may not be so much of suffering. Actually, according to me, growing young person is full of this, how many decisions we are doing, should I get married, not married? And if I have to get married, to whom shall I get married? So the mind pulls our decision into a thousand pieces, and then responsibility comes, and then inevitable sorrow, sufferings will come. But if somebody has earned enough money, retires very gracefully, which we should, householder or sanyasi, and then the joys of irresponsibility are indescribable. So these are the Shat-Urmi, sixfold changes, and we have to meditate upon it. And then we also have to say, in which stage am I now? Am I the? Asti jayate is over, probably for most of us, vardhate is also gone, iparidamate is taking over us, apakshiyate is also taking over us, vinashati is yet to come. So the Guru teaches us that we are all unconsciously suffering because we know we don't want to go through this, but there is no way out. So how to go beyond? Is there any way out? Yes, there is a way to go beyond this. So what is the path? What is the methodology to attain what we call that moksha, to go beyond the limitation? Are there any paths? Is there a path? Yes. Is it one path or many paths? There are infinite. Hinduism answers. Many religions do not answer this way. There is only one path. But Hinduism says God is infinite, whichever direction you face, that is God. You don't need to go anywhere. This is what a great saint called Kabir Dasa was trying to convey to us. Mokko kaan dundere bandhe? Fool, where are you searching for me? Maitho tere paasme ho. I am the nearest to you. What does Kabir Das mean? Nearest, that is what Upanishad means. Upa means near and what is the nearest to us? Our own true self, which is called Brahman. There is nothing nearer to us because we are that. Nearer means so maybe our dress is near to us, our mind is even more near to us, our emotion is still more near to us, but still that is it comes and goes. But me as Brahman, there is no question of coming or going. I may remember, I may not remember. So there are infinite paths are there and how many religions are there? Infinite number of religions because every religion is only a path. But all paths, as I mentioned earlier, fall into only four categories called Yogas. Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga and Jnana Yoga. Why? Because I told you already, each one of us, every human being that was, that is and that is going to be born even after many billions of years. His mind will have these four faculties, action, emotion, willpower and intellect. So only thing is each of them will not be in harmony and in the exact same proportion. So that is where whichever person is dominated by whichever type of faculty, that would be the important factor to follow a particular path. But these four can never be divided and separated like a six or four-way motor path. So all of them go together, but we have the choice depending upon our vehicle, our capacity to drive, etc. We can take fastest or still less and if something is coming, we have to give way to that and Guru decides. That is why Guru is very important. I have seen so many stupid, idiotic people. They think that they are fit for Jnana Yoga. They are not fit. They are not even fit for Karma Yoga. They are not even fit for Karma. In course of time, I will talk about it, but I'm only hinting at these preliminaries, Parivashika, technological words. This is called Parivashika. So just briefly, I will tell you why is a person not fit for Karma because first of all, the fellow is so stupid. He doesn't understand what is his capacity, doesn't understand what he is fit and he undertakes something for which he is not fit and he doesn't have the intelligence and that is why our Vaidika Dharma, Vedas divided people into four categories. Lowest intelligence, Shudras. A little bit higher intelligence, Vaishyas. Still higher, Kshatriyas. And still more intelligence, Brahmanas. The division is not according to birth, but according to Guna and Karma. Bhagavad Gita crystal clearly numerates it. Now, the Guru has to convey all these things that I am discussing. How does he do it? First of all, we have to understand a few things in general that whatever knowledge we have, even whatever knowledge Amoeba also has, comes only through experience. If a person is sleeping, no knowledge comes. When a person is waking up in a wakeful state, he does something and for that he has to divide himself into three. The doer and what he wants to do or the object he wants to attain and an instrument through which he can attain. And I will tell you this, that, but briefly, this is knowledge. How does knowledge come? So, there must be Pramatha, the knower, the person who desires to know. Then there must be Prameya. What does he want to know? Because desire means I have some goal in mind. I want to know about this particular object. That is called Prameya. The knower is called Pramatha. That which we want to know or reach or attain is called Prameya. And for that he has to get knowledge. He has to employ an instrument. It is called Pramana, an instrument of knowledge. And if all these three, Pramatha, Pramana, Prameya are the right ones, then what results at the end of it is called Prama, knowledge. So, Prama, Pramana, Pramatha, Prameya. These four just keep in mind. So, the Guru also teaches. All knowledge comes through experience and knowledge is remembered and as well as transmitted through Shabdas or words. It is a very interesting part of it. So, we have got a faculty called Chitta. The purpose of the Chitta is to keep our experience in the form of memory, experience in a what you call zipped form. So, that is very important. And then we cannot simply put it in an abstract way. We have to think everything in the form of Shabdas. Shabda doesn't mean only what you hear loudly externally. No. Internally, what are we doing? Accepting when we are in deep sleep state, both in the waking as well as in the dream, we are talking continuously to ourselves. Even when you are talking to somebody, you are talking to yourself. This person is very nice. He loves me. I love him. Why do I love him? Because always he brings nice mangoes for me. So, like that or this fellow is a rogue. Whenever he comes, he wastes my time. So, we have to eat, go on chattering within ourselves through in what form? Shabdas, sounds and sounds according to our Veda which the Guru is teaching us falls into two categories. One is called Laukika Shabda and another is called Vaidika Shabda. It is very important. All worldly knowledge comes only through Laukika Shabda. This is my father. You know, when a baby is born, a baby's name is given. So, we go on calling. So, Padma, come here. So, Lakshmana, come here. Rama, come here. That fellow, he doesn't understand. So, parent or mother goes on looking at him. Rama, you are Rama. He understands. Rama and me. Rama, come here. Rama, go there. Oh, I am that Rama. So, this is Laukika Shabda. Words given out by worldly people in the fields of any type of material science is called Laukika Shabda. And this Laukika means worldly sound. Sound which gives us worldly knowledge is better way of putting. And these sounds regarding the worldly knowledge falls again into two categories. One is called of this world. Another is called of the higher world. But according to Vedanta, even if a person reaches Brahma Loka and the knowledge of it is acquired through the lower part of the Vedas, first part of the Vedas called Karma Kanda, never in the second, Jnana Kanda. You know, Vedas are divided into Karma Kanda and Jnana Kanda. Jnana Kanda doesn't ask anybody even to go to Brahma Loka. But Karma Kanda says that there are higher and higher worlds are there and every higher world is increasingly gives more and more happiness, refined happiness, subtlest happiness and which lasts a long time. I'll just give you a small example since the context has come. We divide happiness and everybody seeks only happiness and everybody tries to avoid suffering. Even one millisecond suffering is not acceptable to us and any amount of happiness we never protest. Why are you making so happy? At least I have never heard anybody complaining. Why am I so happy? Always the complaint is why can't I be more happy? Still more happy. Is it possible? Yes. So happiness is divided into five categories and remember that every higher happiness includes the lower happiness. So what are these five types? One is objective happiness. I acquire an object, let us say sweet and I get some type of happiness. This is what Sri Ramakrishna calls Vishayananda and this Vishayananda has another two categories. One is called Medhananda. Medha means intellectual. You can only eat so much but you can read a book, you can think very deeply for days, years, whole life. So Medhananda which includes, it is much more subtle, long lasting and a higher type of happiness and then higher than that is called aesthetic happiness and aesthetic happiness contains both the Vishayananda and Medhananda and when you see a beautiful sunset, when you see any beautiful object and then you forget. How do we know what is Ananda? That which makes us forget. Here is a beautiful definition of Ananda, that which makes us forget the limitation imposed by time, space and object that is called Ananda. We forget time, space and what you call in other way causation or Vastu. Going beyond limit is called Ananda. So higher than these three is called Bhajanananda. Sri Ramakrishna comes straight to this Bhajanananda. Bhajanananda by the way is not listening to bhajans. Nothing can be further from truth. Bhajanananda is thinking and becoming absorbed, completely becoming immersed in the Bhava of God. By listening to the bhajans, you forget the music. You only think of that beautiful ideal which is again and again brought forward into the listener's mind. Hundred words, thousand words may be used. For example, Vishnu Sahasranama is beautifully sung. Thousand names of Vishnu. But it is not the words, it is not the meaning of the words but it is the object which these words are pointing out. That is called Bhajanananda. This is much higher and contains the lower three happinesses and that is also called Dharmananda that is moral happiness because I identify myself with a larger whole. Ultimately, as Sri Ramakrishna puts it, Brahmananda, the joy of becoming one with Brahman, Brahma with Aapnoti Param, the knower of Brahman attains everything. So what are we talking about? The Veda is divided into two parts. The first portion is called Karma Kanda. Kanda means yesterday's chapter and Jnana Kanda, that part dealing with real knowledge. That is Anatma Jnanam is equivalent to Karma Kanda. Atma Jnanam is equivalent to Jnana Kanda. So knowledge of this world and knowledge of the higher worlds and of course knowledge of the Naraka Loka, lower worlds, all are included in the Laukika Shabda only because Laukika means something other than me. But what is the true knowledge? Knowledge of myself. Who am I? And that is the subject matter of the Jnana Kanda and that second type of knowledge can never be obtained by the Laukika Shabda. So that is why there are Pramanas of which I am going to talk. So Vedika Shabda, it is called Shabda Pramana. That Pramana means an instrument of knowledge which leads us to the right knowledge. Pramana means that which gives us right knowledge of either the world or Brahman. So the Laukika Shabdas can give only knowledge of this world and other worlds because these are all changeable and that is not important. But Vedika Shabda is very important. Vedas are not created by anybody. It is just spontaneous, eternal, Apaurushaya. And the Rishis who discovered them, they have not created them, invented them but discovered them and how much an infinitesimal part of it. And so each Rishi is called Mantra Drashta. Mantra means truth. He who discovered a little bit of the truth is called Mantra Drashta. So these Rishis, they just discovered already existing knowledge. Therefore Laukika, worldly words or knowledge conveyed through certain types of the worldly words deal with the objective world and therefore they are good for the improvement in this world, for avoiding dangers, for becoming a little more comfortable. They are not useless but so far as self-knowledge is concerned, they are completely useless. So then if we want and we are studying this Upanishad or any other Upanishad only for the sake of to know not Brahma Jnanam because we had sufficient number of times experiences through Aneka Koti Janma, Churasi Lak Janam. But we are coming to that special Jnanakandam called Vaidika Shabda and so this Vaidika Shabda alone can give us Atma Jnanam. Therefore the seers tell us upon analysis. The Guru analyzes these two and what does he say? So the Shabdas used in Karmakanda are not useful for Atma Jnanam because these deal with the objective world. Now what is the problem with this objective world? So only after many many births a person discovers three types of defects. What are the defects? One is every happiness comes with a payment. It is called mixed up with its opposite. So if I know white, I know what is not white. If I know what is happiness and happiness comes only after suffering and suffering comes only after happiness. Never alone you can get one. Then whatever happiness we get in this world is not satisfactory because it is limited by time, by space and by object. Whatever we accomplish through our actions is finite. Every action gives its appropriate result and every action is finite in nature. So the result also will be finite and so we can never be satisfied with the finite. The third chapter of this is dealing with what is called Bhuma Vidya. Bhuma means infinite happiness. That which is alpam, alpe sukham na asti. There is no happiness in that which is finite. Bhuma eva sukham. Infinite alone is true happiness. So every satisfaction of every desire that anybody can undergo, instantaneously it creates bondage in the form of likes and dislikes called raga dvesha. So avidya leads to ahamkara called asmita. Asmita manifests in the form of raga, deep attachment to what we mistake that this gives me only happiness and whatever obstructs our happiness we start hating them called raga and dvesha. So every result, every karma phala, every result that we get is mixed up with these three. First of all, there is no pure happiness. It is all mixed up. Secondly, nothing is completely satisfactory. Third is every experience, every happiness leads to only bondage. Then what is the way out but one who has faith in the Vedas and this faith comes only after many, many, many a birth. After ascending to the almost very high place in the ladder of evolution, then that person is leading a Vedic life. And then what does he do? He discovers crystal clearly. So many examples you must recollect. Sri Ramakrishna had some desires. So one of the desires was he wanted to put on a barasi shawl costing 1000 rupees in those days and then no sooner had he expressed, Madhur Babu bought one brand new and then put on. Sri Ramakrishna was very happy. He was also shouting at people who were not interested. Look, look, look, did you look at my shawl? This is Madhur Babu gave me. It cost 1000 rupees and then after a few seconds, he threw it down on the ground, started spitting upon it, wanted to burn it because he found out that after all what is the prayojana? It will make me warm. But even an ordinary blanket also made up of ordinary sheep's wool can give me the same effect. Why should I waste 1000 rupees for that purpose? And then I get attached. Something happens to it, then I become very unhappy. Just now I recollected a beautiful incident that once a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna visited Gopala Irma, Gopala's mother. She was living, very poor, living at Kamarahati, three miles from Dakshineswar and then they were shocked. The room was full of mosquitoes. I will tell you also later on what happened to those mosquitoes. And so they presented with a brand new mosquito curtain and they were very happy. We did something very worthy. We served Sri Ramakrishna and happily she will be free from all these mosquitoes. And then next morning, they heard shouting, Open the door. And whom did they find? Gopala's mother. And that new mosquito curtain was there. Here, take back your wretched mosquito. I asked, Why? What happened? She said, Because of this, I spent a whole night. I did not get any sleep because my mind is always thinking of the mosquito curtain, whether cockroaches are eating, rats are eating it up. I did not think of my Gopala. It has become a nuisance preventing me from thinking of my Gopala. I don't want such. So you see, just the vairagyam. I am not saying that you should throw it out. I am saying that everything you use with discrimination, that's all. So what happens? A person who follows the Vedic life allows one to fulfil his desires as well as to discover the limitations. Only a person who leads a Vedic life alone will discover. But what about the other person who doesn't lead the Vedic life? Whether you are following Bible or Koran or anything, it doesn't matter. They are all Vedas only to their particular followers. Then what happens to them? If they are only formally observing, they are only religious people, not spiritual people. Because they are as worldly as anybody else, if not greater, more worldly. So what happens to them? That they don't want God. But they want many things from God. They want to use God to obtain what they want. This is called religion. But a spiritual person says, I don't want anything from you. I just want to merge myself in you. This is the difference between these two. So when a person is not leading a Vedic life, scriptural directed life, then he will never be able to understand that there are limitations. But when this person discovers his defects and then he seeks a solution, then very soon God makes him understand there is no solution. That which is defective by its very nature can never change its nature. So when he discovers, then is there any defect-free goal? Then the Vedas themselves teach, yes, actually. So if you realize God, then there would be no defects. You will be become infinite. You will become eternal. You will become Brahman. And there is no multiplicity. You are beyond. Ananta. Ananta means infinite. Infinite means Desha Parichcheda will go. Ustha Parichcheda will also go. You are one. Therefore there is no second. There is no object. Not only that, you are Nitya. You are eternal. Eternal means there is no second one at all. So it is not momentary. You go beyond all time. So this transcending time, space and causation, that is, there is only one way. What is that way? By realizing Brahman. Then here Vedas teach. The teaching of Vedanta is Vedas is called Vedanta. Anta means essence, summary. After elaborately exposing all these things, then it tells. So when I go to Brahman, what happens to me? Then the answer is that you don't go to Brahman. You don't become Brahman. You are already Brahman. You have forgotten. You are that which you are seeking. You are God. You are divine. Potential means desire is there. Ignorance is there. But you have not yet realized it. So the Upanishads, Krishna clearly tell you are that Brahman. And when the Upanishads tell us Tattvam Asi, when the teacher tells us Tattvam Asi, after explaining all these categories, Shariratraya, Avasthatraya and then Doshatraya, Sadhyatraya, Sadhanatraya, which we discussed, then he says Shraddha is required. Why Shraddha? Because my experience tells. I am a puny little human being with a defective body and mind. But Guru comes and says you are infinite. And so I cannot question a Guru because I cannot question the Vedas. But I have to question my conclusion that I am different. And therefore this called inquiry, Vedanta Vichara consists of three stages. What are the three stages? Shravana, Manana and then is the Dhyasana. So first of all, as we mentioned, a person becomes fit, approaches the Guru and then is there any solution for this defect full of this samsaric life? Yes. And what is that? Only one being is free. That is Brahman. So if Brahman is free, what has it got to do with me? That Brahman which I have just now told is free is not somebody, something but you are that Brahman. And then he will teach through this so-called Mahavakya. Mahavakya means that which tells that you are that Brahman. And then you have to realize that Aham Brahmasmi. And then you have to realize if you are still in this world or Jivanmukta, then everything is nothing but Brahman. So four Mahavakyas are chosen indicating this unity, absolute oneness of the individual and the universal. That is called a Mahavakya, that statement. So I am Atma, Brahma. Prajnanam, Brahma. Tattvamasi, Aham Brahmasmi. And if he is Jivanmukta, Sarvam Kalidam, Kalvidam, Brahma. So this is the process of Shravanam. What is Shravanam? Shravanam is a continuous, consistent, systematic study of the scriptures under a realized soul who uses the teachings to teach the Vedas with the help of six Pramanas, authentication to arrive at the central theme of the Upanishad. Because it's very important, which we will take up in the next class, six Pramanas. That is to say that I am not teaching anything new. I'm only telling the Upanishad. But how do I know? I know you are teaching Upanishad, but how do I know that your teaching of the Upanishad is an authentic interpretation of the Upanishad? For that, six characteristics are there. Lingas they are called to find out whether something is right or wrong and that is called Shat Lingas, which we will talk about later on. So the Guru to a fit disciple takes him through Shravanam and then he has to cogitate, think deeply, get rid of all the doubts and then he has to realize for himself, which we will talk about in our tomorrow's class.