Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 32 on 08 September 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda. This entire sixth chapter is called SADVIDHYA chapter and it has 16 khandas or sections and in our last class we completed the second section also. So what did we study in this second section? There are four mantras in the second section. Herein the Chandogya Upanishad discusses the creation of the universe according to Advaita Vedantic philosophy. The text explains how Brahman, the ultimate reality, manifests itself as three different elements, sukshma, subtle elements called Tanmatras and that is the beginning of the creation of the world. So there are four stages we said. First the subtle means sukshma, three subtle elements of Agni, Apaha, Annam or earth, fire, waters and earth. So how did it come about? First Brahman manifested as Tejas. Tejas means Agni, Agni means fire. Then it decided let me become waters and he manifested or Brahman in the form of Agni now manifested as waters and a little bit of slight grossification will be there and then this Brahman in the form of Apaha or waters decided to become further grossified and so he became the earth herein called Annam. So this is the first stage. Then with these three elements, but we have to actually presume another two also, total five, then there is a creation of all the subtle as well as causal bodies, that is the Swapna Avastha and Sushukti Avastha. That is the second stage and what is the third stage? The third stage is now all these three elements, as I said we have to presume the two more, only three are mentioned that's all and why also I will explain very soon. So they have become mixed up called Panchikarna or three elements, three different ways called tripartite system and yesterday we discussed that one and now they have become grossified, three elements or as we have to understand five grossified gross elements, that is the third stage. Fourth stage is that these five grossified elements, Bhutas, Panchamaha Bhutas, now they mixed with each other and then they expanded, manifested in the form of the gross world that we are experiencing, the bodies of everything living as well as non-living. And I also mentioned these inert things, non-living things are only according to the western scientists but according to Hindus they are all Devatas, every object in this world is also a living being, a Devata, each soul is potentially divine. What about a mountain? You may ask, yes the mountain now is in a potential stage and it will be for a long time so to say but one day it will also become manifest with life from inorganic to organic and then it slowly starts traveling or ascending or standing on the evolutionary staircase and slowly it comes to human beings and advance to human beings and then turns the mind inward and further spiritual practice, one day he will fully manifest his divinity. So every stage is a manifestation of divinity. If there is amoeba, its body is very limited, mind is very limited, therefore the consciousness is very limited but that limitedness of the amoeba is more than sufficient for its life but the same thing slowly becomes a little more advanced, maybe animals then birds or animals or human beings and it will also further progress. So there is nothing without consciousness, everything is the manifestation of consciousness. Also keep in mind every object that we experience is an idea and or a thought and what is a thought? A thought is nothing but modification of consciousness. So just like any form on the cinema screen is a modification of light but we forget the light and there is a house, there is a man, there is a tree, there is an animal, there are forests, mountains, rivers, we forget they are not nothing else but manifestations of pure light. How do we know? Switch off the light and immediately you will come to know that everything disappears. Switch off the consciousness, the whole universe including our own body also will disappear. Now earlier I made a statement how do we say that there are five elements when the Chandogya Upanishad is only mentioning three. Just look at yourself how many sense organs you have, how the five representing five grossified elements Akasha, Aayu, Agne, Apaha, Prithvi. Correspondingly these five elements have been manifesting as a sound, as a touch, as a form, as a taste and as a smell. Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha. If we accept only three elements as per this Chandogya Upanishad then you can't move because there is no space, you can't touch because there is no air. Akasha and Aayu they are represented by sound as well as touch and without sound and touch it is impossible to live in this world, almost impossible to live in this world and that is why it is called Prapancha. Prapancha because five elements represented through five sense organs to experience five types of these sensations. How so? Because what is the world? What is a human being? Remove from human being or any being Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha. Sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The object itself will not remain. That is the logic we have to understand and for this we don't need to have any faith. A blind person only one three fourths of the or four fifths of the world. For a deaf person only three fifths of the world. Like that each absence of each sense organ reduces the experienceability of the world. If all the five sense organs are absent which we experience during coma, unconsciousness, deep sleep then the whole world disappears. Why does it disappear? Because in deep sleep these five sense organs through the mind are not functioning. Simple. This is the logic. So this is the first creation that is in four stages and for the third stage what is called Trivrutkarana, tripartite system. Yesterday I explained and that comes in the third mantra and then the brahman thought. Now these are called devatas. Three elements Agni, Apah and Prithvi or Annam are called devatas. Devata means consciousness manifesting through the fire, through waters and through the earth. With this the third chapter is over. Now in the fourth section there are seven mantras are there. Now in the fourth section Rishi Uddalaka, Aruni and remember he is a knower of Brahman. That's why he told his son in our family there is no one who is not a knower of Brahman. When he says Brahmavir is not meaning a pundit, a scholar who has mastered all the Vedas which his son did in the beginning. That is what he meant. That's why to make his son understand he said did you ask those questions by knowing the one original cause, causeless cause, eternal cause which is only manifesting as this entire subtle, causal, subtle and the grossified world. You will come to know everything. That is why Brahmavit Sarvavit Bhavati. We have to supply that one. So did you ask your teachers for that knowledge? And Shweta Ketu arrogantly replied, No, they did not teach me. What did father say? Did you ask? What was the reply? They did not teach. Why would they teach? Unless you are asked, why would they teach? Notice when you are studying the Gospel of Sairam Krishna, it is conversations. Simply Sairam Krishna very rarely talks without being asked. At least he will start the thread. Like Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna asked how am I to get out of this in what is called eternal suffering, unbearable suffering. Then only he starts with suffering only. A real pundit never suffers, never undergoes unhappiness. And how? Because a real pundit has surrendered himself. Completely sorrowless, not a negative statement. He will be swimming in the ocean of Brahman. How? By getting rid of this seeming creation, multiplicity, also called duality. That is why in the beginning itself, this Upanishad says, Now we have seen how that Brahman desired and he became first fire. Fire desired or in the form of fire, Brahman desired. In the form of waters, Brahman desired. In the form of waters, Brahman desired. And the four stages of creation have taken place. And now the entire creation is ready. Now the being, the subject, the knower, he has to enter into it. The Bhagavan had also entered into it. Now in this fourth section, what the teacher Uddalakarini wants to say, The whole universe is nothing but a manifestation, that is a combination of five elements. Here in only three elements. Whenever we say three elements, we have to presume five elements. Naturally, after hearing this, a student must have got a question, he might have asked or a doubt must have arisen. What is the proof, sir? How do we know? And for that, this particular fourth section is giving through four examples. And how does he say? So what he wants to say through the proving of colours and these colours, three elements represent three colours. What is that colour? What are those colours? Red colour, white colour and black colour. Wherever we see white, red colour, that is the colour of the Tejas, Agni or fire. Wherever we see white colour, it is the colour representing Aapaha or waters. And wherever we see black colour, it represents Prithvi Tattva. And then he gives four examples because every object, as we said earlier or just now also, is nothing but a combination of three elements. And those three elements are represented through three types of colours. And if you take away the colours, here colour means the Agni, the red colour, the white colour, the black colour, meaning the fire, the waters and the earth, nothing remains. So that is what we want to say. Let me give you an example. Imagine there are ten pots made up of clay and you are calling them pots. What are the pots? Particular names, particular forms for particular purposes. Small pot A, big pot B, cone-shaped pot C, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. To distinguish one pot from the other pots for the sake of transactions, easy transactions. Now, earlier he said these are all nothing but names and forms. So you take away all these names and forms. Don't call it big or small or square-shaped or round-shaped or pot-shaped or pot-billish-shaped. Forget about it. If you take all names and forms, and it means qualities also and purposes also, what remains? Nothing but clay. That proof proves here pure clay. Pure clay means without names and forms. Pure clay means pure existence. Here clay is an example. Don't say that Swami, the Atmananda is made up of clay only. And if you say that, you will prove to yourself that you are also made up of nothing but clay. So here is pure existence. Here in this Upanishad, which starts in the sixth chapter, Sath, Eva, Soumya, Idam, Agrae, Asid. Sath, pure existence. And existence is the same as consciousness. That will come later on. We will see how it comes. And Chit is nothing but Ananda because there is no multiplicity. These ideas we will discuss later on when it comes. But here what is important is two types of taking away. So supposing there are ten ornaments made out of gold. Take away the gold. Then what remains? Don't say names and forms because nothing will remain. Take away names and forms of the ornaments. This is a bangle, this is a necklace, this is a ring, this is an earring, etc. What remains? Pure gold. That means only pure existence and another name for pure existence is Brahma. So take away existence. Nothing remains. Take away the names and forms. Pure existence alone will remain. And that is the essence. If you have grasped this essence, we can run through these seven mantras. As I said, this fourth section has seven mantras. And he is giving four examples. So the first example is Agni or fire. So you see fire. It has got three forms. One is the red colour, one is the white colour, and one is the black colour. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, There was a time when I meditated upon a light emitted by a burning wick in any lamp. And when you carefully look at this light, there are three colours there. So observe carefully and if you don't find, you just have to extend your imagination. Remember, it is not to prove the colours. Proving colour is proving creation. That is not the purpose. It is to take us gradually from the manifest to the unmanifest, from the effects to the cause. That is very important. Let me read the first mantra. yad agnehe rohitam roopam tejasah tat roopam yad chuk shuklam tad apaham We have to add, it is not there. Roopam, we have to add for the sake of grasping. yad krishnam tad anasya, that is, prithvi roopam apahagad agnehe agnitvam vacarambhanam ekaronam adheyam trini roopani ityeva satyam Beautifully expressed here by Uddalakaruni. What does it mean? yad agnehe rohitam roopam tat roopam tejasah When you see rohitam means red colour in fire, then that is the form representing Agni or Tejas. Remember, what you are experiencing as fire is only one of the objects, created objects. But the subtlest element is called fire. So when you look at fire, there are three forms, red, white and black. And this red colour represents the first manifestation of Brahman as Tejasaha or Agni or fire. Yad shaklam, and if you behold, there is a white colour. Tad apam roopam, and that belongs to the waters. That is, the subtlest element Agni had manifested as waters. And yad krishnam, if you see the black colour, tad anasya, that is, that is the Anna. Anna here is the subtlest element called prithvi roopam. That is the form. That means what? When you see black, remember the third element called prithvi. When you see white colour, remember the waters Jalam. And when you see the red colour, remember the first element of Brahman, that is called Agni. So, giving this example, what he wants to say, just let me remind you that example. It will be easier. You take away gold from the ornament. Take away the clay from all the pots. What remains? Actually, nothing remains. That means when we are looking at pots, there are nothing but words. Words means thoughts, as I said. Vacha arambana, there is nothing but some words. There are vikaras. Vikara means modifications of the three elements. Namadheyam is only names and forms. So, if you take away the clay or the gold, actually nothing remains. Then what happens? Oh, there was a necklace, there was a pot, but now the clay is gone, so the pot is gone. Even if you remember it in your memory, there is no clay and there is no ornament. One Swami used to make a bit of this one. If ornament and gold are separate, then when you give gold to the goldsmith, he will retain the gold and he will give you the ornaments. Do you think such a thing happens? He will only hand over to you the same gold which you gave. Previously, it was formless, therefore nameless. It is a lump of gold, but now it has got for special purposes, different names, different forms, different purposes. So, apakad agnehe agnetvam. When you look at the fire, that agnetvam, fire-ness, you take away sweetness from a sweet. What remains? Nothing remains. Like that, if you take away from the fire, then this agnetvam, then once you take away agnetvam, the jalatvam also will go away. The annatvam or prithvitvam will also go away because they are only modification of the fire. So, I hope it is clear. When we see, we have to add this one, the red color of gross fire, it is from the subtle fire. That is the element called agni. When we see the white color, it is the manifestation of the subtle water, that is apaha or jala. And when we see the dark color, it is prithvitvam or annatvam. Thus, that which constitutes the fire-ness of the fire is gone. All changes are mere words, in name only. Fire is only a name indicating a certain condition. Which fire? Not the element fire, but the gross fire. So, the three colors, red, white and black, representing the three elements, they are the only reality. So, again to repeat, take away gold from an ornament, what remains? Nothing. What happens to shape, size, nama and rupas? When we take away the substance, nothing remains. That is the understanding. So, the next example also is of the sun. First example is of the fire. The same logic must be applied for anything that we see in this world. So, don't be very clever and go on asking, why only three colors? When I see a mango, I see golden color. When I see a leaf, it is of green color. I hope you remember, every color in this world is only a mixture of three colors. I don't know exactly, it is red and green, blue. These are only. Only here he has given different names, that's all. But colors are for the purpose of easy understanding. Colors means representing the essential elements, which are nothing but ultimately, finally, Brahman. So, second example of the sun. Apply the same. Exactly, same logic. Take away the essence of the sun from the gross external sun that we are seeing. That is the Agni, the Apaha and then the Prithvirupa. How? Because in the sun also, three colors are manifest. You see the red, you see the black and you see the white. So, red, white and black. And when we look at the red color, this is called spiritual practice. You look at the red color of any red. You remember, this is one of the Sokshma Bhutas. You look at the white color. This is one of the colors of the waters. And you look at the black color. And because it is very gross, it is called black. Now, if you are very intelligent students, then you will be asking the question, what about the representation of the air and the space? But as I said, there are many other colors are there, but these two are not mentioned. Why? Because perception is not possible. We can't see the air, much less the space. But we can remember, we can experience the air and infer from that there is air because sparsha. Oh, it is so nice. It's so hot. How do you know? Because heat touches you, coolness touches you. And how do you know that there is space? If you are able to hear my talk, you have to understand there is space. Because what carries sound? Only space. Akasha represents only sound, shabda. So following the earlier logic, you take away the essence. Essence means these three elements or you can say five elements take away, then the sun will disappear. That is what he wants to say. Then what is it that we are calling the sun? That is we are forgetting the three subtle elements and we are only remembering the gross external manifestation called fire, called the sun, called the moon, called the lightning. These are only four examples given. In this particular section, you take away the essence. And let me put it in a different way. Take away existence from anything in this world. Take away existence from the sun, from the moon, from the fire. The sun is, the moon is, the fire is. Like that, the lightning is. Just now there is a lightning I saw. Because if it doesn't exist, we don't see and we are able to experience. And therefore, we can only experience what is existing. And therefore, existence is there. Take away the existence, nothing will remain. Take away the awareness, consciousness. Because to say I see, I the consciousness, I the conscious being, with the help of the mind and body, I am experiencing the sun, the moon, the lightning, the fire, etc. Take away that consciousness, become unconscious, you don't experience. Nothing will be there. So that is what he wants to say. Then what are the things we are experiencing? The fire, the sun, the moon and the lightning, they are nothing but words. And words of what? Even though we are repeating these things, I am going to repeat again in slightly different mode. So for example, when we see the sun, we think that it is an object. And when we say it is an object, and whatever is objectified is experienced only by a conscious being. So what we are saying, anything that is experienced doesn't have consciousness. Is it true? Not really true. But that is what at the beginning we had to say. Because we can't experience whatever is not existing. And whatever is existing must be having consciousness. And whatever is having consciousness must be having Ananda. That means we are seeing nothing but Brahman only. But for argument's sake, I see only and whatever is objectified is not me. That is the fundamental principle of Advaita Vedanta. I am not that. The moment we say I am not that, what am I telling or what am I implying? That that object is not me, means that object is not Brahman, means that object is not Sat, not Chit and not Ananda. This is another way of trying to understand what is it. Everything is nothing but Brahman. That is the final conclusion. Sarvam Kalu Idam Brahma So applying this fourth section, the Uddalaka, Arunesh logic, you take away the subtle essence of the Sun. What remains? Absolutely nothing remains. Then what is it? Without reminding ourselves, when we are looking at the Sun, this is Brahman in the form of the Sun. That is the essence. Look at the Moon, I am looking at Brahman in the form of the Moon or I am looking at the Moon which is the manifestation of Brahman. I am looking at the fire which is the manifestation of Brahman or I am looking at the fire which is nothing but the manifestation of Brahman. I am looking at the lightning, it is nothing but the manifestation of Brahman. So whatever object, I am looking at a tree, looking at a dog, so Manushya Brahma, then Vriksha Brahma, Pakshi Brahma, Griha Brahma, Grihasta Brahma, Sanyasi Brahma, Vidwan Brahma, Avidwan Brahma, that is what Swami Vivekananda meant. Dharidra Narayana, when you see Dharidra, don't say I am seeing a Dharidra, I am seeing Narayana in the form of Dharidra. When you see a rogi, a sick man, don't say I am seeing a sick person, I am seeing Brahman or Narayana in the form of a sick person. Apply it. When I see an illiterate person seeing only Brahman, if you give education, then he will also improve. True education. So this is the meaning. The red colour of the sun is from fire. The white colour or the red colour of the sun represents the Agni Tattvam. The white colour represents the Jala Tattvam, Aapas Tattvam and the dark colour Krishna Rupam represents the Prithi or Anna Tattvam. Thus, that which constitutes the sunness of the sun is gone because it is nothing but Brahman. All changes are mere words in name only. The three colours are the reality. Three colours means, always remember, not red, white and black, but the elements called fire, water and the earth. These three are the essential elements which are none other than manifestations of Brahman. Now I will add one small point here. So when we look at the three, any colour and infer, okay, I am seeing the element called fire, Agni, element called water, element called Prithi. That is also Mithya only. Because any manifestation, any duality, why is it Mithya or unreal? Because Ekam eva advitiyam. Brahman is well defined earlier itself. Ekam eva advitiyam. So now evolve slowly from the gross vision to the subtle vision to the subtlest vision. Go beyond all visions and remain as that only, even to say only will be error, but only that pure Brahman. That is the idea. With this logic, again we will apply to the moon. Yath chandramasoho rohitam roopam, tejasaha tad roopam. Yath shuklam, we have to add, you know. Yath chandramasoho shuklam roopam, tad apam roopam. Yath chandramasoho krishnam roopam, tad annasya roopam. That is how we have to supply these words to make the meaning, the sentence complete. Apagat chandrat chandratvam. Vacharambanam vikaro namadeyam. Trini roopani tiyeva satyam. Same, the red colour of the moon. Whenever we see the red colour of the moon, remember it is Agni tattvam. When we experience the white colour, it is representation of the Jala tattvam. And when we see the black colour, it is representation of the Prithvi tattvam. And these three make up the whole or appear with different names and forms at the entire creation. Thus, that which constitutes the moonness of the moon. That means what? Moonness means what? Moonness means these three elements. Remove them, like remove gold, nothing remains. Remove the clay, no pot remains. So, remove these three elements, then there would be no object called moon, the moon is gone. And then same words are repeated. All changes are mere words, in name only. The three colours, that means the three elements are the reality. Don't forget, when I say three elements, three colours means three elements. And they are also mithya, just like colours. Just like we denied, all colours are excluded. Taking us to there as representations of the three elements. But in their turn, the three elements are also mithya only. Because even they are manifestations. So, we have to go to their causes. That is to say, in another way, Brahman is the cause, three elements are the effects, three elements are the causes, and this entire mental world and physical gross world are the effects of both the so-called living and non-living. So, the essence of the entire creation is either these three elements or five elements. And the essence of the five elements is none other than Brahman. Don't ask what is the essence of Brahman. No, Brahman is causeless cause. Because it is eternal. Eternal means what? Eternal means there is nothing prior to that. Eternal also means there is nothing posterior to it. That means what? It is not a cause. It is not only causeless cause, it is not even an effect. It cannot become an effect. And why do we see? We see not because Brahman has become the world. We see because of our mind. That is why it is called Mithya. So, that is the example ultimately leading to Brahman. Now, the fourth mantra. That is not the original mantra. yad krishnam tad anasya apagad vidyato vidyatvam vacharambanam vikaronam adheyam trini roopani iti eva satyam So, for the sake of better understanding. yad vidyutah rohitah roopam tat tejasah roopam When we see the red colour, that is really we are seeing the element called Agni. yad vidyutah shuklam roopam tad apam roopam When we see the white element in the lightening, then what are we seeing? That white colour represents only Jala Tattva. And when we see a black, at least after the lightening we see everything as black. tad anasya roopam So, that represents the Prithvi Tattva. These three, repeated again for better retention. So, apagad vidyatah vidyatvam So, you remove. Vidyatvam means these three elements from the lightening. There will be no lightening. Just now an element has come. I will give two examples. May not be appropriate, but certainly it facilitates understanding. What is that? Take, for example, coffee. What is coffee? Hot water. If you prefer, of course, milk. Coffee powder. And if you prefer, sugar. Let us say, Indians are very fond of sweet coffee, sweet tea, etc. Why? Because they are very sweet people. So, what is coffee? A combination of four elements. If you separate these four elements, what remains? Nothing is going to remain there. But let us take another example. Say, supposing you are thinking. What is a thought? Pure consciousness. Then there is the mind. There is an object. And there is a process of thinking. And that is called an idea, a thought or experience, an object. So, what are you looking for? For example, I am looking at a tree. What is a tree? Pure consciousness. And there is an object. And that object is in the form of a thought. And there is a process by which this external object is taken in as a thought with the help of the sense organs. And if you separate these four, that combination, then there would be no mind, there would be no thought. But don't say, pure consciousness goes away. Pure consciousness has become the tree. Pure consciousness has become the process. Pure consciousness has become the mind. And a combination of all these, and that is called the idea of a tree. So, you remove the subtle elements, nothing remains. Nothing remains? That would be a wrong idea. Today, pure existence remains. What is the problem? It cannot be experienced. Existence is there, but it cannot be experienced, excepting in the form of the division, the subject and the object, the external and the internal, and all the five elements or three elements, whatever way you want to say. So, that is how we have to understand. So, everything, all that we see, we hear, we taste, we touch, we smell, everything is nothing but manifestation of these three elements in this Upanishad, or five elements. And those five elements are also Mithya, because they are manifestations of Brahman. And when we attain to that final knowledge, that is the purpose of this Upanishad, then we have reached the goal, and there will be no I or You or We. That is the important thing. So, when we remove the lightening-ness, the essence of lightening from lightening, then that lightening itself disappears. So, all the changes that we perceive, we experience are mere words, in name only. The three colors are only the reality. Three colors means three elements in this Upanishad. Three elements are also Mithya, finally, but this is leading step by step. Now, Mantra 5 wants to show clearly that this is a wonderful, wonderful mantra, that this realization of Brahman, slowly, like climbing a staircase, first of all, you imagine there is a house, there is a roof, and this roof has got a staircase, this staircase has got three steps. What is the first, what is called, where are you on the ground? And what is that ground? This entire external creation that we see, that is called, remember, that is comparable to the ground. And going to the essence, to the little subtler level, from gross to the subtler, that is the first step. That is, you see the earthiness, and then you take the second step, because everything has come from earth, and earth has come from water. What is the second step? Water. And the water has come from which place? Its cause, that is called fire, Agni Tattvam. And in this Upanishad, Agni Tattvam is a manifestation of Brahman. So that finally leads to the roof called Brahman. Three steps, actually five, the ground, three steps, and the roof. What is the ground? Our experience in this transactional world. What is the first step? Going a little bit deep inside, subtler, gross to subtle, that is called Prithvi Tattvam, or the Bhuv Tattvam. Then go a little further, its cause, because the whole universe is the effect of this particular earth, and the earth is the effect of water. Water is the second step, and the water is the effect of Agni, that is the third step. From the third step, we go to Brahman, which can be compared to the roof. I hope that will help. That is the essence of what we discussed. Now, how does a person realize Brahman? Through this process, we have seen so far. And if you take the Jnana Marga, the path of the knowledge, first Shramana from the teacher, then Manana, deep thinking, until all doubts are removed, and finally complete Oneness, through Nidhidhyasana, we become one, and that is the goal. Now, what Uddalakaruni wants to say? Remember, he himself was a householder. What he is telling? A marvelous mantra, he says, that any earnest seeker, married, unmarried, householder, a monk, man, woman, Hindu, non-Hindu, Brahmana, Chandala, anyone, if he becomes an earnest seeker of God, can realize God. If they do sadhana in the right way, as taught by their teachers. That is what he wants to say in these three mantras. Beautiful mantras. So what does he want to say in the fifth mantra? The earlier, great householders. I said, marvelous mantra. Great householders. There are householders and householders. Great householders and inferior householders, who are there, who are well-read in the Vedas, knew this, and they did sadhana, as mentioned earlier, perhaps that is how Uddalakaruni also realized, and they realized Brahma. And then, what did they say? There is nothing anyone can mention, that is not heard of, or thought of, or unknown to any one of us realized souls. Because by knowing one, Brahman, everything that is the effect of Brahman, can be known. That's what we discussed. Because, how did they do? This is because they came to know about the three colors. Three colors means three elements. Each lower element merges in its higher element, and the final element is Agni, and that element finally merges in Brahman. Merges means not as two objects, merges, realizes, I am nothing but Brahman. I am only appearing as fire. I thought I am fire, but no, it is like this. So the rest of the two mantras, which we will discuss in our next class, are only a little bit of what I just now said, through these five steps, and we will discuss that in a while. But what is important for us, this is what Sri Ramakrishna's main teaching, that anybody who is Shraddhavan, endowed with Shraddha, then learning is not a qualification. That's why Sri Ramakrishna did not teach Alphabet II, not because he failed, not because he was incapable of teaching, educating, but deliberately he did that to prove to the world that literacy is not one of the important causes of realization. That's why he himself refused to go through the formal education. So, as I said, anybody, but anybody means they must become earnest seekers, great householders, and every monk was only a householder earlier, don't forget, every monk represents in past lives, as a man, woman, Hindu, non-Hindu, learned, non-learned, learned Brahmana, Chandala, etc. We will talk about these marvelous subjects in our next class. May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.