Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 12 on 30 June 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad of Samaveda. In our last class we were discussing about Upasanas and we asked certain questions also. Can we do away without Upasana? No. Upasana is the Dwara, the doorway to Brahman. Just as the doorway to youth is adolescence, childhood for a baby, so also there is no way. It is a matter of gradual growth called evolution. So we cannot do away with Upasanas. Then we also saw what are the benefits of Upasana. Four important benefits we have discussed. So please refer to that. So Upasana as meditation or meditative technique or worship is a ritual associated with meditation. Now there are great people who have tried to define what is this Upasana. According to Vidyaranya Swami, that is a great sage in the 16th century who wrote wonderful works like Panchadashi and Jeevan Mukta Viveka, etc. So he has given, following Shankaracharya, a beautiful definition. According to him, Upasana consists in uninterrupted meditation by the mind on an object of worship learned from a teacher whose words the aspirant accepts with unquestioning faith. And this current of thought should not be, must not be disturbed by any alien thought to what had been taught by the teacher who teaches nothing but the teachings of the scripture. The Vedic teaching conveyed through the mouth of the teacher as suited to the capacity of the student. But these are the certain conditions. It must be scripture approved. Anything that we take upon, that's not going to happen. Here we can cite an interesting example. Ekalavya, he had approached Dronacharya, as we know the story in the Mahabharata, and Dronacharya, he steadfastly refused, outright rejected. No, I will not be able to teach you. He did not even use those words. I won't teach you. So he said, OK, you have rejected me, but I have not rejected you. So he went and then he learnt through purely by making a small image, mud image. And I guess if anyone were to look at that, whether he would recognize Dronacharya in that image, I have terrible doubts about it. But in the mind of the Ekalavya, that is none other than God. That is the connection. Connected with intensity, undeviating mind, as if a teacher is teaching, even though physically he was present. We can also connect it with certain stories in the Upanishads. How did Satyakamajabala obtain the knowledge of Brahman? His guru was alive. He was in the ashrama. Very interesting stories, if we think about them. He approached his guru. Instead of saying about Brahman, he said, I have got some cows. Go and graze them. And this man was commanded, until they become 1000, then do not return to the ashrama. So this person went, Satyakama, and day and day, how can I look after these cows? And he guarded them by day, by night, and he forgot time, space and causation. And then one day, the bull approached and said, Sir, we have become 1000. Drive us back to the guru's ashrama. How did the bull speak? Is it the bull who is speaking? Or the purified mind of this Satyakama, which is speaking? So even tending a bull, if it could give Brahma Jnana, why can't thinking of the image as none other than his own teacher, Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu by Ekalavya, cannot teach? And then there is another story, because these are pointers, now and then pop into my head. So this Satyakama Jabala, he returned home, and the guru, how did you learn this Brahma Jnanam? Your face is shining like a Naira Brahman. That means you are a realized soul. Then he has to tell diplomatically, by other beings than you, but I want to learn from you. And what did the guru teach? So whatever you have experienced is absolutely right. And in course of time, Satyakama Jabala, he became a guru, and another student approached him. And then what did this man do? He refused to teach his disciple. Probably that Guru-Shishya Sampradaya is carrying on. Just as his guru did not teach him for a long time, this person also did not. Then the guru, without teaching, he went away somewhere. And then this boy became very sad. My teacher did not teach me. But he was highly devoted. And then the wife of the guru became very, very compassionate. My son, do not worry. You will get it. And then there also, non-human things came out. Swamiji was commenting upon this phenomenon. And he said, if somebody has that Shraddha in the scripture, in the guru, then God will open up the knowledge, which is already within. Not that the knowledge has to come from somewhere, but the knowledge is already there. But it is closed. And God's grace removes that closedness, whatever be the obstruction. And that flows automatically. That is why the goal of any education life is not enjoyment, but knowledge. That is what Swami says. Anyway, I just remember these things. So, the mind should be directed. And it should be directed only according to the guidance, guidelines, even in the scriptures, but as interpreted and taught by the guru. And the guru only gives suitable methodology, just fitted, absolutely tailor-made for the student. But the knowledge has to come from within. These are just like keys to open the door. So, if the mind is directed in an unbroken trend towards the object of Upasana, it acquires such a noble trait that it continues to think of that ideal even in dreams. Very true. So, when we read something just before sleep and we are deeply interested, and many of our dreams, even in an unconscious manner, part of what we have read or thought about will be associated with our dreams. What to speak if a person has got tremendous devotion to God and hears a story and he can dream. That is how when we read the Puranas, sometimes we can dream that Narayana appeared, Shiva appeared, etc., etc. But is Upasana, Upasana and knowledge, what is their relationship? Are they same? No, they are not the same. Upasana is the pathway and it leads us to the knowledge. Here, knowledge means the knowledge of Brahma. What is the distinction? If I know a tree, then I am the knower. The tree is the object of my knowledge and my mind and sense organs are the instruments of this knowledge provided all the conditions are in the right way. Then what I obtain is knowledge of the tree but I remain completely separate from the tree. I remain separate from my instruments also. But here Brahma Jnana means the knowledge I am Brahman. Therefore, there is a beautiful summary. Upasana presupposes a distinction between the worshipper and the object of worship and the ultimate step in this Upasana is called Brahma Akara Prithi. Ramakrishna is a disciple that you remove all the thoughts excepting Brahma. He said yes, but I cannot remove the thought of my Divine Mother. Other than that, no other thought is. So, even that thought is the ultimate of this Upasana. When a person attains to that final one singular thought but Saguna Brahma who is Kali, Saguna Brahma who is Rama, Saguna Brahma who is Jesus, Buddha, Saguna Brahma. So Upasana, in Upasana the worshipper and the object of worship there is a distinction and that also has to be transcended. Upasana is based upon faith because knowledge means I directly experience something. I am Brahman is a direct experience. This is called Aparoksha Anubhuti. But this Upasana is I have not realized but it is based upon Shraddha. The scripture tells it my Guru taught it to me so I know that it is absolutely true but I have yet to experience it. Very interesting thing has happened. On 1st January 1886 Shri Ramakrishna had become an ocean of mercy. He was touching and awakening the consciousness of people. Then one devotee approached him and said you bestow your grace upon me. Shri Ramakrishna said but already I have given you everything and the devotee replied when you say so it must be so but I have not understood it as such and Shri Ramakrishna touched him and that devotee whom he touched he started seeing Shri Ramakrishna in the Akasha on earth on every object, every person that he is experiencing. It is called double vision. So there is a distinction. Upasana there is a distinction between the I am the seer and whatever I am seeing is different from me but Upasana is based upon faith. It has nothing to do with rationality because rationality works only with regard to the objects in this world but not the Vedic knowledge. Lastly a method of Upasana is to be learned only from a teacher but based on the scriptures. I told you earlier many times in fact I cited the story there was a Guru and a villager approached him who was very sincere and very qualified but he did not have that much of understanding so the teacher told him that you meditate on this impersonal aspect of Brahman Nirguna Nirveshesha Brahman and the disciple went into a hut where the door is very very small. He has to bend and then enter into the hut and after a few seconds he came running I cannot make head or tail I want a head or a tail then the teacher asked what do you love? I have a buffalo at home. I love it Now that buffalo Brahman you meditate upon it. So he entered into it. He was not coming out like Sairam Krishna was not coming out from this Panchavati hut and then the Guru after several hours he went and he asked come out enough of meditation the disciple replied I want to come out but I can't come out Why? Because I have huge horns they will not fit to this doorway. Then the teacher must have realized though it is not there in the story that his disciple had attained to that highest state. Now a beautiful definition of Upasana in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Shankaracharya given by no less a person than Shankaracharya and in Chandogya also he gives but I have added that which is a little bit addition from the Brihadaranyaka A most beautiful definition of Upasana that is to say how do we know a person had become an expert Upasaka or he had attained to the highest stage of Upasana. How do we know? So Upasana is to procure a support for the mind that is a subject matter for the mind to contemplate but it should be approved by the teaching of the scriptures and it is taught by the Guru of course and make uniform states of the mind flow towards it that means unbroken current of thought. This is called Brihadaranyaka Upanishad uses a beautiful word Santati. Usually we understand by Santati means children but it means continuation. A father produces children those children grow up, get married produce their own children so the what is called heritage is continued. That process of continuation is called Santati so there must be an unbroken stream of thoughts but not a stream of various thoughts. Same thought it arises it disappears again it arises and it goes on and on. Same thought again and again and again uninterruptedly for how long? As much time as the contemplation is continued so this is said uniform states of the mind flow towards it in such a way that no foreign or alien thought will interrupt that flow that current of thought. This support or object of meditation can be and must be only Saguna Brahma or any other object that is approved only by the scriptures but explained by the teacher. Now we are all devotees of Sri Ramakrishna at least most of us. So we study the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna and there are so many instances for example Nistharini Devi one of the women devotees the wife of Navagopal Gosh comes to Sri Ramakrishna and asks so how can I think about God and then he says think of me and then she was very happy. Navagopal Gosh also very happy that is what he said to Girish Chandra Gosh also you just think of me that is enough and to practically many devotees Sri Ramakrishna said think of me me means Sri Ramakrishna. Now is this there in the scriptures or you can also think Sri Ramakrishna also as a Devata. No it is not there. So how can we understand this question and then what is the answer who is Sri Ramakrishna is he an individual first of all secondly is he an ignorant individual. No he is one who has become Brahman. He merged himself into Brahman or what he used to call my Divine Mother and then who is talking my Divine Mother so when Sri Ramakrishna used to tell that think of me who is really talking only the Divine Mother. So we have to understand many times I have explained what is called Veda is not what had come out of the mouths of whom we call Rishis 5000 years back. Whatever comes of the mouth of every realized soul is only Veda. For example Ramana Maharshi for me everything that came out of the mouth of Ramana Maharshi is nothing but Veda everything that comes out of the mouths of Sri Ramakrishna Holy Mother, Swami Vekananda direct disciples is nothing but pure Veda. That is why in Kannada as I mentioned the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna was termed as Sri Sri Ramakrishna Vachana Veda Veda in the form of easily understandable language. The whole Gospel is nothing but pure Upanishad and one see Rajagopalachari has made Sri Ramakrishna Upanishad and Swami Harshanandaji also had composed the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna as an Upanishad. So there is a difference between pure knowledge and Upasana. Upasana is a mental activity but knowledge is a realization but in Advaita Vedanta and this what I am going to talk to you just now very briefly is not absolutely strictly necessary for understanding Chandogya Upanishad but it is a very important concept of Vedanta. So there are two words are used it is called Tantra. Tantra means dependent upon and knowledge is called Vastu Tantra Gnanam is totally dependent upon the object and there is another word used Kartru Tantra. Something dependent upon the doer Kartru means Karta means doer. Dependent upon the Karta. Kartru Tantra What is the difference? This is very important for us to understand. Supposing I come across a tree and I see this is a mango tree and the knowledge that this is a mango tree, it doesn't depend upon me. It is a mango tree and when I rightly comprehend it I get the knowledge this is a mango tree. This knowledge of the mango tree that this is a mango tree is totally dependent upon the mango tree. If I see a fly, this is a fly. If I see a kite, this is a kite. If I see a house, this is a house. Whatever object is there depends upon the object that is called Vastu Tantra. Totally dependent upon that. But then I form certain judgments So Kartum, Akartum Anyatha Kartum I want to do something I want to do something else or I don't want to do anything, that is totally dependent upon me. How I react towards an object having obtained the knowledge of that object, how I want to react with regard to that object, that is dependent upon me. In this example there is a beautiful mango fruit hanging ripe, ready to eat to be plucked and eaten So I can desire I want to go, pluck it and eat it. Or I may think that this is a temptation, I don't need to eat it, so I may not eat it. Or I don't like mangoes and I like people who don't like mangoes. So it depends how I react, how I act and react that depends upon me that is called Kartru Tantra. Now why is this distinction necessary because when I experience Brahman, this experience of Brahman doesn't depend upon me the knowledge of Brahman depends upon Brahman. But whether I want to think about Brahman or listen or read about Brahman or I want to forget the whole Brahman business that depends upon me. And this distinction we see in our everyday life. Billions of people they claim that they believe in God but actually they don't believe in God If they believe in God then they would have been the best people in the world. This world would have been most peaceful but anyway I wanted to bring this distinction between what is technically called Vastu Tantra or Kartru Tantra important concept. So what is now Upasana? Kartru Tantra. I want to think I want to think all the time or I want to think for a short period of time and I want to think of Brahman as Rama or Krishna. It is dependent upon me. But once the knowledge of Brahman dawns it doesn't depend upon me that I want partial knowledge so I will deny no. When the knowledge dawns of an object it depends totally upon the object. So that is very important. So some examples are given in the introductions to this both Chandogya and Brihadaranyaka. When the Chandogya Upanishad our present topic asks a person to meditate on a man and woman as five. There is a in chapter five there is a Upasana. We must consider a man and a woman both as fire. So it enjoins mental activity. This is called Kartru Tantra totally dependent upon the will of the agent. I might think a man as a fire and a woman not as fire or vice versa. I may not think both of them as fire or I may like to think both of them as fire. So everything depends upon my will. So Upasana is what is called Kartru Tantra. But the resultant knowledge that is called Vastu Tantra. Supposing there is a real fire not man and woman as fire. So I cannot. I want to think of it as not fire. That is impossible. That is false. To see real fire as a real fire that is called Vastu Tantra. Because the fire is fire only. You can't think of it as anything else which would be false. But what you want to do with that fire? Whether you want to cook food or warm yourself or burn your house or somebody else's house that depends upon you. But the knowledge of the fire depends upon this. This is a very important distinction because with this understanding when we are thinking of God, we should not think of God as our buddhi, our intellect understands it. God is only belonging to my religion and he has got only one name and he should not be called by any other name and he loves us only. He doesn't love anybody else. If he loves anybody else also that will be only inferior love. Not as much as he loves to me. These are all what is called wrong thing. If you are claiming don't claim what God wants. This is what Sri Ramakrishna used to say Naa ke iti kutthene God should never be limited. Leave it to God what he wants to do. Whether he wants to love, doesn't want to love but he can't help accepting loving. Why? Because he is everything. The clay has no choice to think but I will think of some parts as myself and some other parts as non-self. That is not possible. Everything that is made out of clay must be clay only. That knowledge is called love. We don't need to bother so much about it but this is a very good benefit if we understand it. Now what benefits we get of the Upasanas? Yesterday I discussed it but as I said that nowadays the Vedic Upasanas are out of Ogh because they were highly abstract. They are very natural whereas here only personal things have come. But just to remind you, I spoke about them as four benefits. Purification of the mind called Chitta Shuddhi, concentration of the mind called Ekagrata and depth of understanding called Buddhi Vyapti and the mind becomes identified gradually with larger and larger segments and a time will come when it will forget that it will really become individual, indivisible. But nowadays Auranic Upasanas thinking of God as Rama, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha etc. But here also similar type of stages are there in the Upasana and these stages are divided into four categories. The lowest step is called Rupa Dhyana. So you go to the temple of Shri Ram Krishna and you will see there either a photograph or an image. This is called Pratika. The grossest representation looks like a human being etc. And then it is easy because we are so much identified with our body. So we think that it is very difficult to think that God is Chinese President Zipi. So nobody prevents that if you want to do Upasana of God as Zipi, you can very well do it because God is Zipi only. But not only Zipi but everybody else everything, every object in this world, Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma. So when we see here is a person sitting and it is easy after some time close your eyes and imagine he is sitting looking at you very very pleased and you offer him your favorite things and he will look even more pleased with you and let somebody offer what you don't like and he will be looking at that person completely displeased with him. All this Kartru Tantra. So Rupa Dhyana very gross but sincerely practiced after some time and slowly the Rupa melts into its higher stage which is called Nama. In a way Nama is also called Bija. So the subtle aspect of Rupa is called Nama. The moment just as you close your eyes and then you recollect this my son Rama or Shyama my daughter whatever it is and then suddenly you will see that whole thing connected every incident connected with that either your son or daughter comes to the mind. Just one name. That is why Ramakrishna used to say name and the named Nama and Namne are one and the same. This is much subtler. That is why Nama Dhyana that is called Japa. Japa is not just repetition. Japa is remembrance. Find out the difference between repetition and remembrance. You may be repeating but you may not be remembering. But if you are remembering you are doing both. Remembrance includes both repetition as well as remembrance. Nama Dhyana and Ramakrishna used to say that Hanuman built a bridge with the name of Rama. That means for us to get out of our Maya ignorance the name of any name of God is more than sufficient. But during practice we have to go even deeper. Supposing you recollect a mango and then you see its qualities, the fragrance the appearance and the taste the smoothness everything you remember and this is still higher or subtler mind is necessary that is called Guna Dhyana. Guna Dhyana is most important because we also have got qualities which are unspiritual. Soon we are going to come in our Shanti Mantra. We have got so many unspiritual qualities and they have to be replaced with spiritual qualities. This is called Guna Adhana. That is to say I lack certain qualities for example Shanti I lack Shanti and I am not charitable so I want to be charitable. This is called Dhanta. I lack mind control. Dhamma Shama, Titiksha Uparati, Shraddha Samadhana. So whatever quality I am lacking, we have to meditate upon God as an embodiment of that particular quality. The only way to replace an undesirable quality with a desirable quality is to think of the desirable quality which Patanjali calls Pratipaksha Bhavana. Think of the opposite. Now we are having lot of negativity. The negativity can be only countered with positivity. This is called Guna Dhyana. And when we succeed, when we have sufficient amount of good qualities in sufficient strength not 100%, that is they become natural after God Realization. But for a starter, sufficient amount, then we are given the direction. Think of Swaroopa Dhyana. What is Swaroopa? In the Puranas God is pure existence. Everything that is existing is God and every living creature has got awareness, knowledge and that is called Chit. So God is Chit Swaroopa. If a mosquito has got the intelligence to escape from your, you want to smash it, squash it, then it has sufficient intelligence to run out of your clapping hands, crushing hands. That intelligence also belongs to the God only. So every living creature manifests this awareness called Chit. And every living creature, inevitably invariably, always desire only happiness. That is called the Ananda. So that existence which doesn't know a break, that consciousness which doesn't know any break and that bliss which doesn't know any break, that is called Brahman, that is called God and that is our goal is to be Sat Chit Ananda. Asatoma, Sadgamaya, Tamasoma, Jyotirgamaya, Mrutyurma, Amrutangamaya. So with this, we can answer the question, can we do away with Upasana? Can we realize God without Upasana? No. Absolutely no. Just as without staircase or even a ladder, nobody can reach the roof, so also without Upasana, it is impossible to have realization of God. So this gradual reality, realizing everything is real as Brahman, that process is called Upasana. So we can't do away. So I have given you sufficient amount of preliminaries which is applicable not only to Chandogya Upanishad but every scripture. It applies to Bible, to Quran, to Guru Granth Sahib, to any other blessed scripture you want to study, this is an inevitable process. With this background, now we can start exploring some of the aspects of this Chandogya Upanishad. Before I come to the 6th chapter which talks only about the real aspect called Sat. 7th chapter as I mentioned talks about Ananda. 8th chapter is fully dealing only with Chit Swaroopa, Sat, Chit, Ananda. Sat, then Ananda, then Chit. 6th, 7th, 8th chapters. Like any other Upanishad, this Chandogya and Kena they belong to the Sama Veda and therefore every Veda has its own particular Shanti Mantra and in this case the Shanti Mantra is what I have started chanting from the very first class. Chanting of Shanti Mantra. Now we will explore because this is like any other Upanishad. This is one of the most wonderful Upanishad and this particular prayer to God through this Shanti Mantra is not only applicable to what is called spiritual knowledge but even to secular knowledge. If anybody wants to become a very successful businessman or a medical doctor or a lawyer or even a cook or even we require the grace of God. What is called long and short of every peace chant Shanti Patha is without the grace of God, nothing can be obtained. Just imagine, let us imagine, we are praying sincerely and God bestows His grace. Now when God bestows His grace, how do we receive God's grace? That is a very important understanding. So the very first word used is Om. Why? Omkara Atha, these are called Mangalapadas. Before we start anything, we have to remember God, we have to pray to God. The essence of all scriptures is called Omkara and this is what Sri Ramakrishna spoke about and M heard for the first time during his first visit to Sri Ramakrishna, all rituals end in Gayathri. This is exactly what we are talking here. All Karmakandas, Karmas that are prescribed in the first part of the Veda called Karmakanda, they all are represented by Sandhya. The word Sandhya, ritual and every ritual has got its own beautiful effect. Phala will be there. The scripture assures us but there will come a time in course of spiritual progress every ritual must end with Upasana. What is Upasana? It is a mental activity. So physically doing Puja might take a long time, may be impossible to procure certain necessary things, prescribed things but mental activity. You can do anything you want mentally and that is called Manasika Puja and that is called Upasana. Dhyana Mantra also falls under the category. This is what Sri Ramakrishna is explaining. All Sandhya merges in Gayathri. What are we talking about? Upasana. Gayathri Upasana. Here Gayathri Upasana we have to understand in its broadest term we are not talking about the word Gayathri. In fact even Gayathri is considered as a deity. We deify everything. Hindus can deify everything. They deified recently Santosha. So Santosha means tremendous amount of satisfaction, satiety, Santosha. So they called it Santoshi Ma and now she became a goddess. So Saraswati is a deification of knowledge. Lakshmi is the deification of happiness. So like that every God and Goddess is only embodiment of all the qualities that we require. So here what is called Sandhya merges in Gayathri. What is the meaning of Gayathri? Gayathri. This is a hymn from the Rig Veda itself. So this Gayathri Upasana is one of the most famous Upasanas in this Chandogya Upanishad. So he who sings this truth he will become the truth and that is what is called Upasana. Slowly approach the reality, knowledge and then Gayathri merges in all Upasanas merge in Omkara and Omkara is the doorway first to the personal aspect of God and next to the impersonal aspect of God. So gradual progress in spiritual life is indicated here and that is why we have also elaborately talked about this Omkara. Every scripture talks about Omkara Upasana. So Omkara is the name of God both for the personal as well as impersonal aspects of Brahman, Saguna, Nirguna and first Shadi. You don't have a choice I will choose the Nirguna Brahma and I will directly enter into it. Just as we cannot enter into a room without going through the doorway so Omkara is the doorway that first leads to Saguna Brahma. Through Saguna Brahma that is the doorway that leads to the Nirguna Brahma and it is also a prayer to God because thinking of God and starting any activity brings on His grace and the person will really attain God. Now the prayer. What is the prayer? First of all if I want to do anything all the instruments through which I want to do something including the mind also because even what to do? So I want to eat food. Why do I want to eat food? Because I cannot live without eating food. So what is the desire? I want to live. If there is a choice of course I want to enjoy my food but if there is no choice previously you know people used to, this is a very interesting question. I will take you through several of these things whenever the occasion rises. In the past we why? Because we had many lives. In our nomadic state we did not even learn how to hunt properly and we used to depend for survival on what is called dead animals either when naturally one animal kills the other or natural death comes and after death it starts rotting and the smell of decomposition comes and then that is an invitation. Food is now available here. The whole tribe they run there and fall upon it and go on eating and their stomachs were completely suited for that. Now the question that I am putting to you. So this decomposed food and flies and so many insects are crawling all over these people just push them aside and in that process some of them will also become Brahmarpanam. No doubt about it. The question is are these people enjoying it or not? Just as we enjoy our desirable food not like medicine but desirable food. Did they enjoy or did we enjoy in our ancestral format? Yes. Because hunger is the best thing that brings about enjoyment. So now we don't need to depend upon dead animals etc. So what am I talking about that we whatever we want to achieve is only for one thing. We want to survive. Asatoma sadgamaya. That is the first law of life is survival. And why do I want to survive? Because I want to be happy. And how do you know I am happy? Because I am aware I am happy. So the whole life is nothing but to be Sat, to be Ananda Swaroopa and to be Chit. Nothing else is there. Sat, Chit, Ananda. But to attain to that state we need God's grace. And God's grace comes in the form of what? The proper instruments. We have the body, we have the mind. In a sense body and mind are the instruments. And this body has got several components like the what is called five senses of knowledge, inputs, doorways for knowledge and five sense organs of action. Karmendriya and Gnanendriya. And if we want to accomplish anything they must be strong. This is the prayer. And only God's grace can really fulfill because any untoward incident can cut off my I may lose my eyesight, my hands, my legs, anything. Therefore we have to become what is called totally dependent upon God's grace. We are alive and our sense organs are okay. It is all the tremendous grace of God for which most of the time we are not grateful at all. Even a 99 year old person he should be grateful through God's grace I have been able to live such a long time. So this Shanti Patha is to invoke the grace of God. What form the intelligent teacher imparts to the intelligent disciple are fit receptacle. This is a prayer to God, Ishwara, Saguna Brahma. So Sarvani. That Sarvani is here. If I have not specified something, vocalized something, don't think that only what came out of my mouth should be granted. But even what I have left out, either out of ignorance or forgetfulness, you complete it like a mother. She looks after the baby even if the baby doesn't know what is good or what she has forgotten. The mother never forgets. So Aapya Enthu means let them grow. Let them be glowing with health, with beauty, and with strength. And let them be fit, more than fit to receive the grace of God in the form of life and the activities of life. So Aapya Enthu means growth. So Mama Angaani Vaak. A few of those, Anga means limbs. Mama my body and mind is not mentioned here except indirectly. But I will come to that. So let the limbs of my body. What are those limbs if you are mentioned? Vaak means speech. Prana. Without prana, I am a living creature and prana is function. And without prana or that necessary energy in the form of necessary capacity. Eyes must have the capacity not to hear but to see. The ears must have the capacity not to see but to hear, etc. Each is specific to its own function. So Vaak, Prana, Chakshu. Vaak means speech. Prana means general energy. Prana and Chakshuhu that is the eyes. Shrotram, the ears and Indriya and Sarvani. All the Indriyas even though I have not mentioned. That means let the whole body. So may all my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears and all the organs become healthy and strong. Very important point we have to remember about prana. So what is a disease according to Ayurveda and as well as Chinese ancient medical system. The prana not functioning properly or not flowing properly through the whole body and nourishing, enriching and making it strong. Results in what is called disease. People do not be at ease. Roga. This is called roga. So let all these limbs, that means let my body be absolutely strong and each limb must have its capacity to function properly. The eye should be able to see correctly not only the physical sight but even my mental attitude towards that and then I may be able to hear. That is why the Vedas are called Shruti. I should be able to not only to be present here but I should be able to hear. Hear means just receive it with Shraddha and understand it with Shraddha and then only it opens its inner secrets. So every limb has its own function and that is what we have to do. Indriyan is Sarvani. All the limbs. Ataha not only that. Balam. So strength. Strength necessary as much as necessary with regard to each individual Anga. Let the body be healthy, strong and very positive. Free from all negativity. Disease etc. Weakness etc. And this is a prayer and this is possible only by the grace of God. So may all my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears and all the organs become healthy and strong. And may all the body and mind with all the sense organs end out with strength. For what? This we will talk about in our next class. May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Ramakrishna.