Devi Suktam Lecture 03 on 02 November 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So we were studying the Devi Suktam. Suktam means expression of a realization. Here the name of the Suktam is called Devi Suktam. It has two variants. AMBRINI VAAK SUKTAM VAAK SUKTAM DEVI SUKTAM That is Suktam usually means a beautiful passage, beautifully said. But here Suktam means a highest truth. Devi Suktam means Devi. Devi is another name for Brahman. As we discussed in the past classes that while Shankaracharya was composing the Soundarya Lahari, SHIVA SHAKTIYA YUKTO YADI BHAVATI NASHAKTAH PRABHAVITUM If there were to be no Shakti, another word Shakti means Maya, Shakti means Prakruti, Shakti means Avidya. Without Shakti, no activity is possible. So Devi Suktam means not only is the highest truth Parabrahman, the Supreme Reality is called Brahman. The same Supreme Reality, when it is manifesting with names and forms, that is also Brahman, same Brahman. It has not become something else. The world has not come out of Brahman. Just as a person puts on a disguise and appears before us, and the first person has not become the second disguised person, merely he disguised himself. This is the Advaitic view and it goes by the popular name VIVARTHA VADA, Appearance but not Reality. So here is a great lady who is called a Brahmavadini. She is the daughter of another Rishi. Generally, it is said that great people are born of only great people. If the parents, at least one parent is not great, it is not possible because according to Karmaphala, a great person will be born. A would-be great person, as a baby, is born only in the parentage, in the lineage of great people. Probably that was the origin of the idea that in a lineage of any person who realizes Brahman, Brahmagnani lineage, seven generations will always be Brahmagnanis. A Brahmagnani, a non-realizer of Brahman, will not be born in such a lineage. Generally, according to Karmaphala, a person must have been doing a lot of Sadhana and all his Purva Janma, Karmaphala, has to be fructified either in this life or in a few more lives. Such a person takes place in a very suitable, very convenient atmosphere and family is the greatest influencer of such a congenial atmosphere, will be born there. So a Rishi, his name was Ambrana. So he had a daughter. That is the greatness of our religion. There are other religions. There was a great knower of Brahman in what we call Sufi Sampradaya, Rabiya. Her name was Rabiya. But several such great Brahmavadinis means, if you know a little bit of Sanskrit, Vadini means one who argues about Brahman. That's not the meaning. Brahmavadini means who expresses one's whole realization of Brahman. Such a person can be called, if it is a male body, Brahmavadi, if it is a female body, Brahmavadini. Several such Brahmavadinis and we do not know how many because with regard to realization, there can be any number by God's will, whether they are known or most of them remain unknown. We have at least 27 to 30 Brahmavadinis and there are famous, Maitreyi was one of them. Gargi, Vachaknavi was another one of them. But far earlier, we have seen in this Rig Veda, this Ambrini, the daughter of the Rishi Ambra. So she also had become a realizer of Brahman. How did she realize Brahman? How does anybody become a realizer of Brahman? Because with every knowledge, here is a very interesting piece of information. There are two types of knowledge. One type of knowledge, the lower type of knowledge, will merely give us information about something. For example, you come to know there is a place, holy place called Varanasi. But it doesn't mean you have become Varanasi. You have to come to Varanasi, even then you don't become Varanasi. With regard to worldly object, every piece of knowledge keeps its separation, duality. But with regard to Brahma Jnanam, one who knows Brahman becomes Brahman. And what is the example? Example is, somebody had forgotten who he was. And the famous story of Dashamastavamasi, you are the tenth. I hope you know, even a repetition will not be a useless thing here. It is a most famous Vedantic story. One day, ten people wanted to go to a distant village from their village. And on the way, they had to cross a huge river. So they all plunged into the river, came out. They wanted to make sure that all of them had reached safely. So one person stood in front of the others, lined them up and started counting. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Where is the tenth one? He forgot to count himself. So others thought, one of us is missing. So the second person came, you stand in line, I will count in case you are mistakenly counting. Same thing, all the ten people counted themselves, excepting counting themselves. Then they started weeping. And then a passer-by saw what the problem was. He explained, he said, all of you stand. And he started counting, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. When he came to the tenth, he pointed out and said, Dashamastavamasi, you are the tenth one. Here, this is the knowledge he conveyed, you are the tenth one. So unlike the worldly object, I know a mango, but I do not become a mango. But here, the moment he came to know, because it is about himself, that you are that tenth one, whom you are mistaking as if you are missing that person. Dashamastavamasi, there are many such stories, some more stories are there. All to point out that he who knows Brahman, that means he who knows himself, he doesn't become somebody else, he just remains. Previously, he did not know, now he comes to know. So just to remind ourselves, there was a prince who was kidnapped when he was a very small baby. And many years later, one of the ministers saw him begging along with other beggars, but he recognised him and said, you are not a beggar, you are a prince. And at first, the beggar doesn't want to believe, how come all of a sudden you are equating me with a prince? Then he said, this is what has happened, and just look at the chain hanging around your neck, where there was a small Kavacha, and inside that it is written, your mother has left it for you. He never opened, he thought it was natural. And then he found out, this is the prince born on such and such a date. By knowing that I was not a beggar, I am a prince. So he did not become anything else. He was a prince, he thought he was a beggar, that wrong thought has been removed. This is called Brahman Realisation. So there were so many Rishis, Rishikas, or women Rishis, who have strived. Irrespective of man or woman, irrespective of Vedic times, or present times, or future times, the process is the same. Get rid of avidya, and what remains is the Supreme Reality. What cannot be negated is the Supreme Reality. Trikala, Abadhitam, Satyam. So they must have performed a tremendous amount of Tapasya, and they must have also become disciples of some great Brahmagnas, knowers of Brahman. There is no other way. NANYA PANTHA VIDYATE AYANAYA So many are there, only 27 to 30 were mentioned in the Rig Veda. But there were innumerable who were not mentioned. That is the point. At any given time, Swami Vivekananda used to say, at least there would be 4 or 5 Jeevan Muktas, and it is a belief that at least 3 or 4 Jeevan Muktas will be there in Varanasi at any given time. We may not realize it. We may not discover them, because when we are not fit, then we will not be able to recognize. Even if we recognize, by chance, we will not be able to get any benefit from them, because we only get benefit depending upon what we want, and only the people who can help us to get what we want, they are called Teachers, whether it is Pickpocket Guru, Computer Guru, any type of Guru, Chanting Guru, or Pooja Guru, whatever it is. So this famous Devi Suptam forms in the Rig Veda. It is the 10th Mandala, 125th Hymn, and it goes by three different names. Devi Suptam, Vaak Suptam, because Vaak is the name of this Rishi's, Ambrana's daughter. So Vaak Suptam, Ambrini Vaak Suptam, three names are there. And this Devi Suptam has become extraordinarily popular, because those who do Durga Saptashati Patha, you know, during the Navaratris, many other times also, but especially they have to do, along with the worship for nine days, they have to be part of this Devi Patha, that is Chandi Patha, Durga Mahatmya Patha, or Devi Patha. So along with that, this very end, Devi Suptam will come. What is it, this Devi Suptam? That this Devi is none other than Durga. So if anybody does this Devi Suptam with Shraddha, by the blessings of this Devi, and this Devi is none other than Durga Kali Saraswati, Maha Lakshmi, Maha Kali, Maha Saraswati. So these are the three deities in the Durga Saptashati. So she is everything. And very interesting part is, part of this, there is a famous hymn, which in our daily Vesper service, Arhatrikam time, we sing, Sarvamangalamangalye Shivye Sarvartha Sadhike Sharanye Trembake Gauri Narayani Namostu On one hand, we say you are Shiva, you are the wife of Shiva, Shiva. And on the other hand, next very line, Narayani Namostu So you are Shiva, you are Parvati. There is also a beautiful incident, when this either Shumbha or Nishumbha, probably Nishumbha, I do not remember. So he accuses the Divine Mother, I am one fighting with you, and you are so many, Brahmani, Narayani, Kausumbi, etc., etc. It is not fair, that stupid fellow is telling, it is not fair to fight with one. You want to show your valour in one-to-one. Then the Divine Mother laughs and says, very interesting, you know. So you go on dancing, you stupid fellow. Madhuyavat Pimamyaham So let me get a little bit drunk, and then only I will be able to kill you. Very curious expression. Why does the Divine Mother say, let me be a bit drunk? Because she is the Mother of the Universe. How can she kill her own son? So a little bit of drinking is necessary to make her forget you are my son. Really, the Divine Mother cannot kill, nobody can kill, God cannot kill. There is no death. It is only change of the apparel, change of one instrument, a worn out instrument, or sometimes not even worn out, not even used, completely new, for a new instrument. Death is a very mysterious thing. It can strike the fetuses, the babies, the children, the grown-ups, anytime. And that's what is happening every day, especially if there is a fight, the very best of these people will be killed. So, Durga itself has been manifesting as Kali, as Parvati, as Chandika, so, so many forms. In fact, there is nothing in this world which is other than Brahma Shakti, what Sairam Krishna used to call Shakti. And this marvellous philosophical idea that in this world we divide, you know, people into male and female, gender discrimination. So this is male, this is female. But male-female is not a bodily discrimination, it is the quality discrimination. So when we say God is our father, we are referring to certain principles. When we are saying it is the mother, we are pointing out to certain manifestation of certain special characteristics, like Kshama, like all-embracing love, like equality, like a mother who forgives any number of her children, any number of times, any number of faults without the least remembrance. We have to remember that. This is called in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, especially first chapter, fourth section, tenth mantra, Sarvatma Bhava. You know this Mahavakya comes, Aham Brahmasmi is one of the Mahavakyas. That is occurring in 1, 4, 10 of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. And Shankara gives a most marvellous commentary using Drishteya Drashtaram. He is the seer of the seeing power. He is the knower of the knowledge. He is the hearer of the hearing. He is the thinking power of the mind. As if mind's power is different, and mind cannot work, sight cannot work, ears cannot work without that pure consciousness. And that is a marvellous expression. Several times it comes, Drishteya Drashtaram. Kadhaapi Drishteya Drashtaram na vilupyate. Every other Drishteya becomes changed instantaneously. When I am seeing a mango tree, I know I see a mango tree. At the moment I see another human being, I see a human being. So that mango knowledge is completely gone. The man knowledge comes. Next second a donkey comes, donkey knowledge will come. So this Drishti is what is called changing Drishti. But there is one which will never na viparilupyate. It is never lost. What is that? That pure consciousness which is behind both the temporary awareness, also the final awareness, pure consciousness. Both of them, they are part and parcel of that pure consciousness, Shuddha Chaitanyam. That will never change. It cannot change. It will not change. That is called Brahman, another name. So this is a most marvellous expression. This is what Devi Supta wants to tell. As we have seen in the Prashna Upanishad, Aitareya Upanishad, Shweta Shwetara Upanishad, and the essence of all those Upanishads is Nirguna Brahma has become Saguna Brahma. Saguna Brahma is known as Ishwara, Hiranyagarbha, Virat, Prajapati etc. And they are not different names. They are different ways of understanding with regard to the context. For example, if we are in the waking state, Brahman is known as Virat. If we are in the dream state, the same Brahman is known as Hiranyagarbha. Totality of all minds in this world. And when we are in deep sleep state, Sushukti, and that is called Ishwara, Prajna, Ishwara, Taijasa, Hiranyagarbha, Vishwa and Virat. So from the individual point of view, we are so and so. From the universal point of view, same Nirguna Brahma is manifesting as Ishwara. Ishwara further grossifies Himself and is known as Hiranyagarbha. And furthest grossification is known as Virat. The same Virat, from the individual point of view, is called Vishwa etc. So this is Devi Suktam also. From the very beginning, it starts like that. So this in the Rig Veda is divided into 10 mandalas. This is the easiest classification. In another classification, it is divided into 8 parts. But this has become popular, 10th mandala and 125th Sukta. That is called Vaak Suktam, Devi Suktam. As I said, Ambrini Vaak Suktam because she is the author. And that represents, what represents? This Devi Suktam represents the realization of previously what we mistakenly call as Jeevatma through Sadhana. That Ajnanam or Avidya is destroyed through Tapasya and then she realizes I thought I was a Jeeva. Now I know I was never a Jeeva. I was never born like Vishnu Maya being experienced by Narada. I am the same. And the credentials of time, space and causation, the huge number of years like in dream, pass within a few seconds as Narada realized. In Telugu by the way, it is a beautiful film. So this about this Narada's marriage. Narada became married. It is a most marvelous film taken in the olden times. So this is called Vishnu Maya and every realized soul will have exactly whether they express or not will be having exactly same experience. What is it? I am Brahman and if there is a mind we can only think of Saguna Brahma. Nirguna Brahma is not available for the mind because mind is limited by time, space and causation. So we have to understand every person who realizes I am God will have to go through the same experience. It is mainly dependent upon two factors. I have to be earnest about realization. First point. Second point is there is no second way. Only one way through surrendering ourselves at the feet of the Guru and sitting at his feet humbly offering our everything to him. We have to learn how to surrender ourselves at the feet of the Guru. That is why Nischala Dasa who is the one greatest author of pure Advaita Vedanta mind-boggling concepts are presented there with crystal clear clarity that is called Vichara Sagara and Swamiji had high praise for that. Swami Vivekananda. So he says who is a disciple and then he gives familiar terminology as we have studied in the many Vedantic texts but at the end he says that he who offers Tano, Mana, Dhana, everything I and mine have to be completely surrendered at the feet of the Guru is now in contrast to the modern people who neither offer the body nor much less the mind and much less what they possess. So that is why Guru Dakshina is not giving Guru some physical something. Most people do not practice what the Guru wants asks them to practice but a time will come then everybody will have to offer everything that is what Sriram Krishna calls get rid of the Ahamkara. Lessening Ahamkara is called blessing. Be less is called bless. So if you are asking somebody bless me it means you try to become less and the main function of every Guru if he is permitted to do it and the disciple wholeheartedly has to agree without protesting either physically or mentally whittling away that is slowly reducing you know whittling take a small piece of wood and then you want to prepare something very pointed so you go on whittling it slowly slowly reducing it to a pinpoint size at the end like Shoola etc and this is the condition everybody has to go through so through Sadhana progress in spiritual life what is it gradually removing Ahamkara and the more we succeed to remove the Ahamkara in removing the Ahamkara that is Ahamkara becomes less and less the more we become identified with the infinite so this is a cognitive process it is not a physical process at all so here was one and she succeeded and she identified herself I am the Parashakti Adi Parashakti I am Durga I am Shivani Parvati I am Chandika I am Lakshmi Mahalakshmi that is why you will be wondering in Devi Saptashati she is Mahalakshmi she is Mahasaraswati they are not considered as something strange and if you observe Durga Puja images carefully you see that the Puja's name is Durga Puja but all the three three aspects of the Mother Durga as Mahalakshmi and as Saraswati and as Mahakali all these three aspects are there Mahasaraswati represents the Srishti Mahalakshmi represents the Stithi and Mahakali represents to Laya aspect this eternal play of Srishti, Stithi and Laya is what is indicated when we are hymning the Divine Mother Srishti, Stithi, Vinasha So every Sadhaka ultimately has to identify first with this Guna Brahma in the form of Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara or Saraswati Lakshmi and Kali and then only the person becomes fit to become identified with Nirguna Brahma that is why I see, I mentioned the name of Gopala Irma very gradually attained to that universal identity Ishwaroopa she has become I am that is it, period I am everything everything because we are thinking it is everything when we go beyond mind even to say I am is not available we see Holy Mother very interesting Holy Mother was always engaged in cooking sweeping, cleaning besides talking etc and a disciple who was staying with her he started wondering in his mind wandering mind also is separate wondering himself that everybody says Holy Mother is the Divine Mother why do we find what do we expect she will always stand with four hands my goodness body with four hands I get this terrible doubt you know Maha, Vishnu with Shankha, Chakra, Gadha etc and when he sleeps does he sleep in the same way then then it's what would be the condition of Mahalakshmi by her side with all these four Ayudhas etc is all human imaginations limited human imaginations so one Brahma represents Srishti Vishnu represents because he has got Ayudhas, Stithi, Laya Shiva also represents Mahashmashana Holy Mother one day she was pressing the vegetables and his disciple made bold to ask Mother why do I find you like this and Mother is in Antaryamini she can read inside thoughts immediately he opened and then said my son she said a marvellous reply which needs a tremendous amount of contemplation I am Maha Maya herself a disciple what was his doubt why are you involved in Maya that means we are all involved in Maya what did Holy Mother say I am myself Maya this is the highest realization I am Brahma Shakti I do Srishti, Stithi and Vinasha I know what I am doing I know what I am I know what I am doing everything is under my control he who knows knowledge is power as they say so the Divine Mother knows and then there is an incident in the gospel I hope you recollected one day during the last days of Sri Ramakrishna at Kasipur one day Sri Ramakrishna talked about everything has come out of Satchitananda many times I referred I saw Satchitananda coming out of this and saying that everything has come out from me so he was talking like that and Narendranath was sitting by his side and pointedly Sri Ramakrishna asks Narendra that what is all this world he says where from it has come and immediately because Narendra was endowed with the highest knowledge sharpest mind in the world immediately he said everything has come out from yourself that means you are Brahman and these are not empty words repeating what Sri Ramakrishna had repeated earlier reoccurring no he understood everything has come Sri Ramakrishna seemed highly pleased with this reply and he didn't ask anybody else because he knew they do not have that kind of understanding so every realized soul realization means what there is only one reality that is called realization to see everything as God is called realization so embodying the consciousness of the Devi or Shakti otherwise called Brahman this Ambrini Rishi has composed the hymn composed what is composed it is not like model and poet sitting and composing it is a spontaneous expression of our experiences and that is what we see here so this Devi Suktam or Vaak Suktam or Ambrini Suktam is an expression of the realization of a great Sadhika who realized her identity with Brahman and as well with the universe and this is one of the earliest Advaitic expressions such expressions are quite a number of expressions are there for example we see we have seen also in the Kaivalya Upanishad Rishi Vamadeva Aitareya Upanishad Rishi Vamadeva I have gone through so many births and then while still in mother's womb Rishi Vamadeva declared that I am everything I am a realized soul I know Brahman so did he realize it in the mother's womb no that was his last birth and he was merely expressing for some peculiar karmic reason he had to be born once more and that would be the last birth so he was telling Aham Manurabhavam I was Manu I was Surya I was Indra I was Shakti I was everybody that is going to be the starting point as I mentioned earlier Ramakrishna used to call the same Brahman as Shakti or Anandamayi Ma and he awakened this same Parashakti in holy mother by worshipping her on the Falaharini Kali Puja the very name Falaharini in case you have forgotten Falaharini one who destroys Fala what is Fala? Karma Fala the effects of Karma both Punya and Papa Dharma and Adharma along with all the Samskaras she will eat up and then when there are no Samskaras no Karma Fala there will be no rebirth that means a person awakens to the reality Aham Brahmasmi as I mentioned earlier that Hindus are accustomed since how many years we do not know to call upon God both as mother Pita and also as Mata so this God is neither male nor female it is wrong to classify because the male or female gender identity is only belonging to the physical body aspect when there is no physical body there is no gender aspect at all so that is why Buddhi every day all of us pray in a formal way or informal way Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayat may I be endowed with that right understanding and then there is a spontaneous prayer everybody prays to the Divine to those who adore Thee O Mother Thou grantest all boons Thou art the origin of the Vedas and of all the worlds be pleased to shine in my heart and accept my adoration Thou art effulgence Thou art the light of the Devas and Thou art in everything and beyond everything bathe me in Thy light and purify me this is one of the greatest prayers so it that this Sandhya Vandana forms a part of everyday Hindus worship whether they are Brahmins or non-Brahmins there are different Gayathris are there Whomsoever you may worship it there is a Ganapati Ganapati Gayathri Surya Gayathri there is even one Ramakrishna Gayathri I mentioned it earlier so Gayathri is not limited only to that Sandhya Vandana Gayathri if you are worshipping Kumara then Kumara Gayathri is there worshipping if you are worshipping Ganesha Ganesha Gayathri is there Shiva, Shiva Gayathri is there Vishnu, Vishnu Gayathri is there Lakshmi, Lakshmi Gayathri is there so Gayathris are there and the meaning is one and the same what is that meaning that oh mother that you are called Saguna Brahma and you as the Saguna Brahma as manifesting as myself even though I do not know that the scriptures are telling the Guru is telling and you are also telling and how is she telling that forms the very first verses of this indicating the ombrenese realization that I am Shiva I am all the Devatas I am all the Adityas and I am Mitra I am Varuna I am Indra I am Agni and I am Ashwini Ashwini Kumaras etc. so we have to understand who is the Rishi Vagambhrani and who is the Devata Sri Eloni is the Devata Vagambhrani is the Devata and what is the Chandas Tristup and Jagati so in the beginning of chanting whenever we strive to chant any Sukta is Mantras we have to pay our respects and honor to the Rishi whose realization it was and to the Devata that is the manifestation of that Suktam and also to the Chandas this is a tradition and so we also do that now earlier I have said the Shanti Patha for anything Shanti Patha should be there so for this we have taken the Shanti Patha the best Shanti Patha in this world Purnam Adah Purnam Itam Purnat Purnam Udachyate Purnasya Purnam Adaya Purnam Eva Avasishyate that means the reality is one what we think is not the measure what is reality is the measure so Purnam Adaha Adaha means that that means that which is invisible that which is far away that which we have no knowledge that is why we say God is somewhere in the sky a popular expression always we look up only God knows we look up as if He is sitting there and in many religions it is imagined as a very old man with a white beard and He is God therefore His beard must be something special because there is not even a speck of blackness or greyness in that and it is a huge beard so He is looking down if you don't worship me I will send thunder bolts and then smash you to smithereens this is the crudest expression of God looking down but what it means is supreme that is why even the temples Gopura will be pointing towards the space Akasha and if you see it gothic structures gothic structure means a particular type of creating the churches and also pointing out to the space, to the infinity space means infinity God is infinite if God is infinite where is He, above or below He is everywhere so this is the idea that the mother is everywhere but since we are ignorant about that fact we have to call it that means that which I am not aware that is represented by that but this world my body, my mind is the world and through this body and mind I am interacting with what we call with this whole world so what is the relationship between that and this so Poornath Poornam Poornam Adaha Poornam Idham only that is infinite and this is also infinite this means the present where I am which is experienceable by everyone of us right in front of me outside me, inside me within me, without me that means this whole world of which I am a part, this is also infinite, truly speaking nobody can set a boundary and say this much is the world beyond that is why people used to believe that if you go on walking, walking one day you will come to the edge of the world and you fall down where will you fall down nobody knows about it, as if you fall down into infinity this is the paucity, the poverty of our power of imagination then the scientist discovered something new our earth is moving all the time so at 1000 miles per second the earth is moving so if you are walking with 3 miles per hour speed, you are actually moving, truly speaking scientifically speaking 1003 miles per second you are traversing, but we do not take it into because you are not the destination is also moving along with you at 1000 miles speed but if you are moving at 1000 plus 3 miles speed, that 3 miles you are a little bit faster, you reach your destination this is the understanding so where from this universe has come because infinity can come only from infinity, can infinity come out of infinity truly speaking, really speaking no, because coming out where from, it must have some other place to come out like a baby coming out of the mother's womb there must be space, there must be time, no, nothing is there, therefore infinity means time wise infinity space wise infinity and cause wise infinity or vastu wise infinity object wise infinity therefore, this world is nothing but infinity has come out of infinity and poornasya poornam adhaya, even though this universe which we are experiencing is also universe we have not realized that it is infinite we think it is finite because some measure of control is there I know this tree I know this person I know this clock I know this book this is how we think we have overcome that limitation, knowing means overcoming the limitation so even though this universe which is also termed as infinity because infinity cannot give rise to finity therefore this universe is also infinite as if this, as if we have to add, this universe has come out of that universe even though it appears to have come out of that infinite brahman poornat poornam dachyate poornasya poornam adhaya as if this visible universal infinity seem to have come out from that invisible unknowable infinite brahman poornam eva avasisyate it remains infinite only because infinite minus plus multiply or divide infinity remains infinite only zero plus zero zero into zero zero minus zero zero plus zero everything is zero that is why the being who first discovered discovered this concept of zero was one of the greatest rishis in this whole world zero represents infinity so this is the shanti patha by itself you can say it is called poorna upanishad you don't need to go anywhere this is more than sufficient for anybody if we really understand its meaning this small background because I have lot of things to say but I will not go into it the very first mantra as I indicated is this Devi or Ambrini is declaring her identity with all the devatas and these devatas are called the presiding deities and unless we have an understanding of what this presiding deity means which fortunately we have discussed in the other upanishads also so what even in the narayana suptam purusha suptam also very fortunately by the grace of god we completed same idea is expressed very beautifully sahasra sirsha purushaha sahasra akshaha sahasrapa sabuhim vishwato ritva atyatishtha dashaangulam that is the visible and the invisible both are nothing but that infinite vasudeva or narayana himself this is called vishwaroopa sandarshana now coming back here om aham rudre vihi vasubhihi charami aham adityehi utta vishwadevaihi aham mitra varunobha vibharmyaham indra agni aham asvinobha asvinobha means asvinobha i move with the rudras and also with the vasus i wander with the adityas and the vishwadevas i hold aloft both mitra and varuna and also indra and agni and the twin aswins so here shayana is telling the very beginning shayana remember is a commentator he was called also madhava vidyaranya and he has taken the help of around 25 people or 30 great vedic scholars in the 16th century and then he collected all the known pieces of these vedas especially Vedasamhita and then he has commented without his commentary it would be almost impossible for us because the usage of language, the very words sometimes the vedas use has gone beyond just as we evolve, language is also evolving and as language evolves the older expressions sometimes become even negative expressions not to speak of positive expressions and if somebody has to give you old bengali or old tamil or old telugu the present day bengalis or andhra people or tamilian people will not be able to understand a bit of what they are talking about because language has changed so much so what is he telling shayana is telling first we will see aham rudre vihi charami i move along with the rudras, also osu vihi along with osu vihi, i move along with rudras why rudras, it is a plural number, osu vihi plural number adityaihi plural number, vishwadevaihi plural number then comes singular aham mitra mitra, varuna indra agni, these are all singular numbers and then aham asvinahubha asvinahubha that is to say dual number so singular number dual number and plural number to indicate nobody is left out everything is me so i also wander, move about with the adityas and the vishwadevas i hold aloft both mitra and varuna and also indra and agni and the twin aswins what is the meaning of all this a devi that is the person who was a jivatma before realization called vak called ambhrani the daughter of ambhrana rishi also called vak, she did tapasya, like remember the bhrigu, he was taught, go and realize brahman through tapasya tapasya is brahma, tapo brahmeti, tapasabrahma vijignasasva and he did tapas, what is tapas a sincere attempt to think properly to get rid of all the misunderstanding misunderstanding can be removed only by right understanding, what is misunderstanding missing understanding is called misunderstanding so all this misunderstanding can be done only if you think properly, deep and discriminating and logical thinking is called tapasya and to aid tapasya, we may eat less we may fast some days or we may do some physical austerities so that they will not remain obstructions for our contemplation properly but by nowadays tapasya means only these external aids only our mind thinks about them as tapasya but that is a wrong idea real tapasya is deep thinking rational thinking and coming to the right conclusion and until we come to the right conclusion it should never be called tapasya so through tapas this lady also realized the truth, what is the truth so in ordinary expression, I move with the rudras means I am the rudras I move with the rudras means I am the Rudras I am manifesting, I am Brahman I am manifesting as Rudras I am manifesting as Vasu and I am manifesting as Adityas I am manifesting as Vishwadevaha and I am manifesting as Mitra I am manifesting as Varuna I am manifesting as as Indra, I am manifesting as Agni, I am manifesting as Ashwini Kumaras, what does it mean? So we will discuss about it in our next class, but what is important is a presiding deity is the collective name for that manifestation of a particular faculty in every Jeevatma. For example, the stinging capacity of a mosquito that is its individual power, but the collective stinging power in every animal that can sting that is called presiding deity. So the bala, the strength, mosquito has its own strength, try to catch hold of a mosquito then you will understand. So whether it is try to catch a lion running at what speed or a cheetah at what speed it is running or a person who has got first prize etc., all those powers, manifestation of powers is called presiding deities, that means the whole universe, this is a marvelous concept we will talk about it in our next class. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohor Moho May Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna