Kaivalya Upanishad Lecture 09 on 18 November 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Kaivalya Upanishad. A great soul called Ashvalayana approached Bhagavan Brahma himself for teaching him Brahma Vidya. Of course, Brahma knows better than anybody else. Brahma Vidya means self-knowledge. Brahma himself is Brahman, so he should know better. He was a manifestation of the supreme reality so that he can bestow his grace upon all the people like us. So he manifests as Brahma, as Vishnu, as Shiva, as Uma, as Parvati, as Kali, as Surya, as Indra, as Agni, as Soma, everything in this world. There is nothing excepting Brahman. But here, Saguna Brahma is what we call the Jagat, and the Jagat consists of the living as well as non-living. So earlier we have seen that one must take to the life of Sanyasa. What is Sanyasa? Sanyasa, that I had enough of this world, and this experience that I had enough of this world, comes only after experiencing the world, not before. And after many millions of births, after going through various experiences, a man understands the ephemerality, the transitoriness, the temporariness, the changefulness, the dependedness of everything in this world, whether it is Jeeva or Jagat, and then he becomes restless. Sri Ramakrishna puts it so beautifully, a child is immersed with play and mother is calling so many times, my child, food is ready, you must be hungry, come, but he would not heed the words of the mother. But hunger overcomes him and he throws everything and then runs into mother's lap. So this is exactly what happens to each one of us. We are busy with these playthings called this world, even marriage is a plaything, so birth, growth, old age, disease, suffering, death, marriage, divorce, everything, Sukha, Dukha, Sita, Ushna, Mana, Apamana, Jaya, Apajaya, everything is a play. This is a marvellous concept, that means it appears to be real but not real at all. So earlier in the sixth, we have seen how Parameshwari taught him that you must meditate upon that supreme reality with 13 qualities, avyaktam, achyantyam, aroopam, nirgunam, etc. etc. But that is the highest stage of sadhana. What about people who are just starting? For them, the Saguna Upasana, the concept of Upasana, how our Vedas have designed the teachings. Vedas are nothing but pure teachings for helping every human being first play with all the worldly things, but even to play one can get excellent toys, be very happy, what you call digital games etc. which were not available earlier. So indirectly the Vedas started Karmakanda. Even though very classically we divide Vedas into only two categories, Karmakanda as well as Gnanakanda, but implied with the Karmakanda is a higher stage, pure rituals without any meditation. Rituals plus meditation as Swatantra Upasanas or Karmanga Upasanas. There are two types of meditations as part of the ritual. For example, if somebody is doing Sathya Narayana Vratam, they have to meditate upon the form of Vishnu, Narayana. But without also, when we go to the temples, we just prostrate etc. that is pure karma. But when we combine meditation, that is called Karma Angi Bhuta Upasanas. This is the second category. So first Karmakanda, then Upasana Kanda, then only comes Gnanakanda. And this Gnanakanda consists of three things Shravanam, Mananam and Nidhidhyasanam. It doesn't matter whether a person is a devotee or one treading the path of Nyanamargam. It doesn't really matter. Even for a Bhakta, there is an initiation. So Venkateshwara could be chosen deity, Rama, Krishna, Narayana, Shiva etc. can be Ishta Devatas. And each one of them have got their own specific mantras are there. So this is a very important part. Then we have to sit and not only do puja, but also meditate upon. So what does it do? Our Vedas tell us, if one does good karmas, he will go to higher Loka called Pitru Loka. But if the same person combines meditations, he will go to Swarga Loka or even Brahma Loka. But if a person wants to go beyond Brahma Loka, Brahma's Loka, which is the highest in the dualistic world, he has to meditate, have an intense yearning for God Realization to become one with God. So that is called Jnana Kanda. Even in Bhakti Kanda, Bhakti Marga, we have initiation, Shravana and then we have to Manana, meditation and by that transform our life and slowly progress and become one with Bhagawan Himself, Nidhidhyasana. How? Even the Ramanujites tell us, first you will enter into the same world as Vishnu, Vaikuntha. This is called Salokya. Then slowly you will be evolving there also. That is called Samipya. Through intense meditation, a cheetah, an insect, becomes like a brahmara or honey bee. So also this person attains Sarupya. But there comes a time when he must become one with Bhagawan Narayana. That is called Sayujya. So even in Vaikuntha, four stages are there. Salokya, Samipya, Sarupya and finally Sayujya. And many people misinterpret. Sayujya means the person ever remains separate from God, not for long. Bhagawan Himself, like a loving mother or grandmother, says I have Para Prakruti, higher nature. Then He will meditate upon it. But we have to start whatever stage we are at. Now we are supposed to be in that stage where we can never think about Nirguna Brahma. Not possible. Therefore in this seventh mantra of this Kaivalya Upanishad, we have a marvellous exposition. Upasahayam Parameshwaram Prabhum Trilochanam Neelakantam Prashantam Dhyatva Muni Gacchati Bhutayonim Samasta Sakshim Tamasaha Parasthat So some of these words must be ringing some bells with us. Tameva Viditva Atimrityu Methi Nanya Pantha Vidyate Ayanaya So Tamasaha Vedam Janamyaham Purusham Tamasaha Parasthat Vedaham Etam Purusham Mahantam Aditya Varnam Tamasaha Parasthat Same words are used in different mantras. But these are all the very essence of the Upanishads. So to help such people, what is called Saguna Brahma Dhyana is imposed. And wherever Saguna Brahma is there, as we discussed in our last class, if there is Brahma, there is Saraswati. If there is Vishnu, there is Lakshmi. If there is Shiva, there is Shivani. And here, very beautiful, very meaningful for us, Uma Sahayam. So how can one meditate upon Parameshwara? Only with the help of Uma. Because when Parameshwara, as we studied in the Kena Upanishad, appeared as Yaksha, everybody got frightened. Because Yaksha represents the Nirguna Brahma. And one cannot understand. It is frightening. As we have seen in the Mandukya Karika also, even Muni, he starts shaking. Whenever he wants to meditate upon the Nirguna Brahma, it creates Bhaya. Such a high mentality should be acquired slowly, gradually through Guna Dhyana. This is called Guna Dhyana. And only comes Swarupa Dhyana. As we discussed earlier, meditation has got four stages. First, Nama Dhyana, which we call Japam. Then Rupa Dhyana, which we call Dhyanam. Then Guna Dhyana. Whatever qualities we are suffering from, negative qualities, must be replaced by positive qualities. And acquisition of those positive qualities is made easier by meditating upon God in that particular positive quality. Suppose somebody is not Shanta, he is Ashanta. So meditate Shantakaram Bhujaganayanam Padmanabham Suresham. If somebody is what we call a miser, then he has to say Varadaraja is prepared to give anything for his devotees. So like that, Bhagawan is assumed to be a repository of infinite auspicious qualities. Sarva Mangala Mangaliye. For what purpose? So that we can meditate upon a particular Guna which is appropriate for us. This is very important for us to understand. Because God is an infinite repository of every quality, it doesn't mean we can take any quality. No. It is just like an appropriate medicine. For head problems, there are some medicines. For stomach problems, some other medicines. For sleep problems, some other medicines. We must have a particular medicine which can remove that particular source of suffering. So we have to choose. First for that, we have to be aware of what is that quality which is not allowing me to move forward. On the contrary, it is trying to pull me down. But if we do not accept it, if we do not understand it, I just make fun, you know. Ask your wife. How? Don't ask, do I have any faults? Simply tell her, you are having these bad qualities. And she knows she doesn't have. So she will just catalogue not only all your bad qualities, your 14 generations bad qualities, and thank God, you thank her and work out. I don't have this bad quality. If you want further clarification, he says that is the worst quality of all the bad qualities. Now you know what quality of God you have to meditate upon. So Uma Sahayam, Parameshwaram, Prabhum, and certain epithets are given. And each of these epithets, how many? Uma Sahayam, Parameshwaram, Prabhum, Pridhochanam, Nelakantam, Prashantam. These are only just a few. And in addition, Bhuta Yonem, Samastha Saksham, Tamasaha Parastha. Altogether 9 qualities. So every sadhaka who sincerely thinks of God is called a Muni. Vyatva, meditating upon this Parameshwara. What does he gain? He will become one with that Parameshwara who is Bhuta Yoni, Samastha Sakshi, and beyond all darkness means of the nature of pure knowledge. By meditating upon Lord Parameshwara, consorted by Mother Uma, the highest Lord, the all-powerful, the three-eyed, the blue-necked, and the ever-tranquil, a true man of recollection, sadhaka, reaches that Parameshwara who is the source of all the manifested world, who is the witness of this entire Jagat Leela, and who is beyond this Jagat or beyond Avidya. Because Jagat means Avidya. So here is the Saguna Dhyana. Let us take one by one. Uma Sahayam. That is Shakti, Shiva. In this connection, let us remember Hiram Krishna had a wonderful vision how Shiva grants liberation. In this context, we have to apply that vision, recall that vision, apply that vision here. There is no scripture, especially what is called Linga Purana or Skanda Purana which talks about any person who dies in Kashi gets Mukti. It only tells Shiva gives the mantra and the Jeeva becomes liberated. But nobody could confirm it. One great Yogi must have had a vision and he was expressing his vision and that got incorporated in the Puranas and every Hindu believes it. And anybody who doesn't believe is not a Hindu. As simple as that. So if anybody asks you Am I a Hindu? You simply recollect and say Do you believe that if you go and die in Kashi you get liberation? And if he says no, this is bunk, I don't believe, he is not a Hindu. Simple. So what did Ram Krishna say? He saw Shiva was moving from one funeral pyre, Chita, to another and whispering the Taraka Mantra. What is the Taraka Mantra? Some people say Rama Mantra. That is fine. But Taraka means that which saves, that which liberates. What is that? According to our understanding the best Satchi, what is called Mahavakya Sravana that is Tattvamasi the what me or Shivasi you are Shiva which Shankaracharya put in the Nirvana Shatka Panopudhyahankarachittaninaham Shivoham Shivoham Shiva comes and tells you are none other than me and because it is coming from Shiva himself person becomes awakened, he becomes restless but all his old Papas, Samskaras are pulling him down. Then comes Ram Krishna's vision for our aid. He saw Mother Kali as soon as Shiva utters the Mantra to the Jeeva, Divine Mother with a Khatga, with a soul cuts off all his bonds. How many bonds? Three bonds. What are the three bonds? Sthula Sharira, Sokshma Sharira Karana Sharira and as soon as they are cut the soul doesn't remain a soul Shiva doesn't remain a Jeeva he becomes Paramatma and immediately he becomes he understands. All this time, for a short time I was thinking that I am not Shiva I was not Shiva but now I know I am Shiva. That knowledge, attainment of that self knowledge is called Mukti or Liberation knowing who we really are and Shankaracharya beautifully expresses it as I have quoted so many times United with Shakti alone Shiva becomes endowed with the power to create the universe otherwise he is incapable even of movement Therefore, similarly also Vishnu similarly also Hari, Hara, Virinchi Hari means Vishnu Hara means Shiva Virinchi means Brahma Api they cannot even they cannot move Shiva becomes Shiva separated from Shakti therefore Shakti is necessary for the manifestation of knowledge and that is true in our day to day life also you know that there is very marvelous sweet in the fridge but you are a couch potato and you want to enjoy it what you do you require a little bit of Shakti and you shout at your wife she says I am busy and it is there in the fridge you lazy, loud you get up and help yourself and then you have no option and you that Shakti to get up, to walk to the fridge and to grasp the sweet and to eat it and then to digest it without Shakti you will not be able to do it so Vishnu cannot do the Palana, Shiva cannot do the Ilaya and of course Brahma cannot even create that is why he is called Sa, Guna, Brahma Guna means here is called Maya, Prakruti Shakti, different names but without pure consciousness Shakti doesn't even function, doesn't even exist so a combination of Shiva and Shakti that is what the great Acharya Shankara is expressing here, O Mother even if Brahma, Vishnu Maheshwara cannot function without your grace what to speak of ordinary people, person like me Akrutapunya means absolutely dull fellow like me Pranantum Stotumva, I want to speak about you, I want to hymn about you, that what to him, how to him can only come if you enlighten my heart and even if I want to bow down to you, surrender myself to you, Shakti is necessary why? because we suffer from romantic pains especially in old age romantic pain means romantic pains so unless Mother grants us that Shakti, we cannot even sleep so Parameshwara is the Lord and the Master, Prabhu where in each individual bosom that is Jivatma is none other than manifestation of Paramatma, that is called Prabhu our physical, mental and intellectual experiences are impossible without the presence of Uma or Prakruti or Panchaprana's life in us and this Parameshwara is described as what Trilocana, three eyed but we have got marvelous mythology and every bit of the mythology is nothing but pure spiritual symbolism so we have got so many Puranas saying describing for the sake of meditation Shiva has Trilocanam and here also the Upanishad is telling us what is the Trilocanam, is it not odd, all of us have got only two eyes what is the eyes one eye is what is called Surya, another eye is called the Chandra not the right and left, Surya and Chandra because Surya gives light, Chandra gives light, if Surya and Chandra are absent, the eye will be totally useless like in pitch darkness very interesting inference suppose there is pitch darkness and you are reading something so suddenly the light goes off the whole area, select city is gone it is pitch dark and you can't see anything now the question comes has electricity gone or have you gone blind you have to question yourself because if you have gone blind also you can't see maybe electricity is there but you are blind or maybe electricity is gone, you are not blind how do you know, after some time suddenly when you are able to see light it proves that you are not blind but if you are blind suddenly you don't think, suddenly one cannot go blind, yes one can go blind for whatever reason I have seen a few people where in childhood they were able to see very properly like any other normal person but in youth something has struck slowly the vision started deteriorating and the time had come and the person was completely unable to see I have seen one such person in our German center, he used to come very with the help of a stick very intelligent person but this is the condition so what is the meaning of Trilochana a Puranic story goes once Uma and in Puranas women are depicted as play things, they are brainless only thing, nothing can be further from the truth because in Kena Upanishad we have seen it is the Shakti here also we have seen Uma Sahayam so everywhere, even in Kena Upanishad it was only Uma so here also Uma Sahayam without Uma without Kali there cannot be Mahakala so we have seen so many times this marvelous truth that male and female we should not apply either on a physical level or on the intellectual level or much better on a spiritual level, should not use because it is only the body or certain what is called natural function has become male or female but once we ignore that particular function our seeing, our hearing, our thinking our activities which the modern women are more than proving nowadays better than, much better than women etc not all of them, some of them etc so there is a mystic symbolism so Uma just quietly came and closed Shiva's eyes just for a moment and then immediately as soon as she closed the third eye burst open in the forehead of Shiva and then she let her hands out, then Shiva explained, Devi, what have you done, our one second of time, time is relative that was what Einstein discovered so many Yogas for the world and without Surya Chandra because Shiva's eyes are Surya and Chandra don't think he was a human being sitting in a very cold place like that waiting for you if this is true and I will never go to Kailasa, I will always prefer only Vaikuntha because nothing grows in the season only probably I have to go into hibernation and to help myself anyway so what is the third eye the Jnana Netram so that third eye became the sun third eye became the moon, third eye became the whole Shakti through which the whole world has been supported became substratum that is what the symbolism but what is Jnana Netram pure consciousness because a person is unconscious, unaware he is as good as dead if a person is walking in the street and he is completely has lost his common sense, consciousness, awareness and any number of vehicles can come and finish him in a second you want to eat, consciousness is necessary, you want to whatever activities you want to do, we have to be aware without awareness we do not even recognize we are existing that is the marvelous truth it is said here what comes next always this third eye indicates pure consciousness is manifesting as both the subject and the object etc then we have got Neelakanta what is Neelakanta blue throated what is the blue throat we know the how this story the epithet has come Devas got defeated many times not once and in future also they are going to be defeated and though they approached Vishnu how can we become stronger and we don't want to die long lived one not immortality and he said that you have to churn devotion, Samudra which is Samudra Sheera Samudra and he gave instructions this is what you have to do and then first you go and make friends with all the Asuras I am going to dwell a little bit because I have not many times dwelt upon this symbolism so the pure story goes like that Devas approached Asuras who are after all their cousin brothers brothers brothers we should not quarrel if China and America becomes friends then they can rule over the whole world so let us cooperate you want to live we also want to live and Bhagavan Vishnu told us that Amruta is available if we churn this Sheera Sagara finally what comes out is nectar Amruta and if I can drink that one it will be marvelous then we will be so how to churn devotion we need a rod so this one whole hill itself Mandaparvata so that becomes the churning rod and then we require rope just like early morning our ladies they churn and try to bring butter out of that milk where they have put some yogurt for making it yogurt butter like that so that butter is there but it has to be brought out by churning and that what comes out is the very essence of the milk and that is called Amruta and Krishna knew better than anybody else that's why he was even stealing and taking so my advice is don't listen to the doctors of course in moderate proportions butter is extremely helpful buttering is also very helpful no doubt about it so agreed so who would be the huge Parvata is there then how to girdle that one so Vasuki became the rope and then how to keep it so Narayana himself said I will be below that Mandara Parvata and then I will be holding up because it has to be churned half submerged half on the sky like that as we do here also so agreement was done now the question came this rope who will be holding the head of the Vasuki who will be holding the tail of the Vasuki and then they were suggested at the indication of Lord Vishnu first you tell that you hold the tail and we will hold the head because we are Devatas and the effect will be just the opposite so this Asuras became enraged who the hell do you think you are we are superior to you we have defeated you so many times we will be holding the head that honor like Duryodhana sitting at the head of Krishna so we will do and you take the tail you are inferior fellows of course that was what they really intended and they got hold of it and they started churning and as it was being churned it was terrible then from his mouth Hala Hala Visha was coming and then all the Asuras started dying etc then they left the foolish fellows we did not think about it we should have held on to the tail and that was the right thing to do Devatas would have died but it is too late pride will prevent them from exchanging the places then they asked Vishnu Vishnu you know the Puranic stories are like that Vishnu wants to put down Shiva he said you know Shiva is a Loka Mitra you just go and say Shiva Shiva Shiva and immediately he is you know Ashutosha oh people are falling at my feet so let me go and help them so they went what is your problem this Hala Hala Visha is coming out oh you please save us oh since you have taken refuse in me I will certainly save you give it and then he drank a whole lot as if half a cup of poison was given there for Shiva but the Divine Mother who is the very manifestation embodiment of this whole world if that poison goes into his stomach where he is holding all the three Bhuvanas all the three worlds they will all be instantaneously they will be dead so Uma helped him you hold it there oh Lord don't let it go down below the throat so that is how they are saved and it is not gone down so the worlds are safe Devas are safe Asuras are safe so this is the story and the poison was so powerful a throat had become blue that is why Neela Kantha blue throated that was the epithet he got from then onwards but what is the symbolism behind symbolism is once Swami Ranganathanji Maharaj he had given a marvelous talk on this the churning of the milk ocean I think if I remember rightly I do not remember actually probably three lectures he has given symbolism of Samudra Mantra of course it is there in his works also eternal values I think for a changing society it is included in that I advise people to go through it now what is the symbolism symbolism is our life is the ocean we are the ocean and in the ocean there is Amruta, there is Visha there are gems there are marvelous things Tribhuvanas that is why very often we compare this Samsara Samsara Sagara so there is a constant battle between the good tendencies and evil tendencies that is the symbolism of even the Kurukshetra war what is called Kauravas and Pandavas so there is the constant battle is going on and we get tired easily discouraged and we have to suffer a lot that suffering is symbolized by Halahala Visha we might get discouraged if you still remember our old Mandukya Karika classes Gaudapadacharya raises in the last Prakarana that there are four obstacles for yoga what are they first thing as soon as we sit for meditation the first obstruction is Laya, Laya means what sleep will come somehow if we can overcome that then mind becomes very very restless at that time even more effort is necessary no effort is necessary to go to sleep but to keep awake there are some aids a cup of coffee or tea can definitely help this is a very practical thing one of our senior Swamis advised a devotee when you get up and then you sit for meditation still that effect of the Nidra is lingering over so as soon as you sit then the Nidra Devi again comes and embraces you in order to avoid it what should you do either you get up, walk up and down and do your Japa and meditation is left over for later on or otherwise take a strong cup of tea or coffee according to your preference at least for half an hour or 45 minutes or one hour you will not get sleep use that time so if we can overcome Laya then mind becomes Vikshepa means scattered thinking of thousand things but the technique is Uparati Uparati means withdrawing by observing them that is the remedy for it but if we progress overcoming these two Laya and Vikshepa the third obstacle tremendous obstacle very powerful obstacle that is called Kashaya in Ayurvedic terminology Kashaya is called very bitter medication so bitter Holy Mother was once given this kind of Kashaya and then she was telling Baba with great will power I am taking this but once I drink this Kashaya whole day whatever I eat only taste of bitterness but being a Divine Mother and being bound in duty to be an exemplary person she had no option but of course there is no sweet homeopathy working there so it is homeopathy that is why so many people prefer homeopathy very sweet pill even if there is a pill it should be very sweet so this is the Kashaya has to be overcome once these three obstacles are overcome then a person starts getting tremendous amount of joy Ananda, this is called Rasaswadana so much of Ananda, a person doesn't want to move forward just a mountain climber he climbs to a certain height and the scenario all around him is what is called most mind moving so beautiful he doesn't want to go any up he wants to sit there and enjoy because the higher up we go then the vegetation will vanish, all the fauna will go away and then what appears is snow clad Himalayas etc. which is not really little bit boring also no doubt about it unless you are of a high poetic mind so we don't want to move from the Ananda we are experiencing and that is the hardest obstacle to overcome and that is the symbolism here Samudra Manthana as soon as Visha is gone so many marvelous things started coming and Rishis and Munis and everybody started running me first, me first and Indra himself had run forgetting, I don't know he left his duties of churning the Vasuki and he ran there and then he got Airavatha and what is called a horse divine horse celestial horse all like that jewels, marvelous jewels and invaluable things that is when a person succeeds in yoga various this can come to him including the power of attraction etc and later on only he will come to know these are all real poison anyway these things will come at last came the most desirable woman in the world that is called Lakshmi Lakshmi means name and fame Lakshmi means happiness Lakshmi means health Lakshmi means power and position every power all powers combined together that is why we call it Navalakshmi nine manifestations of Lakshmi then everybody was stunned and everybody wanted her but then she understood the only person who is worthy of possessing me is Bhagavan Vishnu straight away she went there why? because Vishnu's role is sustenance sthiti and for sthiti what is called both carrot and stick are necessary carrot means I will give you wealth I will give you health I will give you happiness I will give you a good wife, good husband good children, good house, good position everything desirable by most people in this world I will give it to you and all that is represented Dhanalakshmi Rajyalakshmi Yasholakshmi, Sampathalakshmi Arogyalakshmi etc every Lakshmi, every good thing that is all an embodiment of Mahalakshmi so this Mahalakshmi belongs only to Vishnu why? because the symbolism is that he doesn't want anything he uses it for the welfare of other people Lakshmi will remain only with that person who becomes completely unselfish and whoever is selfish sooner or later Lakshmi will part divorce that fellow and that's why Lakshmi so these good things will come that is called Rasa Sadhana but what is the first thing? Terrible dislike I do not get spiritual benefits and I have given up all the things that are giving me happiness that Kashaya, that restlessness that attachment so either we go to sleep our mind becomes restless restless means thinking of all the pleasurable things, the memories of pleasurable things coming to the surface is called Ikshepa and if somehow we want to progress terrible hatred what is called disbelief Ashradha, whoever has seen God, every spiritual person is suffering so it is no use it is better to have whatever little I have even if it be temporary and I don't know, we don't know whether we are getting this is called Charu Vaka that mental attitude is called Kashaya now what is the remedy for that? All these are Vishas only Laya is Visha, Ikshepa is Visha, Kashaya is Visha, Rasa Swadhana is the greatest Visha Halahala, run to the Shiva O Lord, please make me free from these, I am unable to overcome them and then Shiva what does he do? On our behalf, to whomsoever whoever surrenders himself, herself to Lord Shiva he swallows that poison and he gives that knowledge that knowledge, your awareness is represented by Trilochana, third eye so this Shiva is called Neelakantha so much of symbolism is there so Vasuki exhausted, tired, committed the terrible poison and only Bhagawan the faith in Guru that this is what Guru Warren does about first comes these four obstacles all the four the lowest one is of the weakest obstacle the fourth one is the highest obstacle, strongest obstacle, so what is the way to overcome them? Surrender let us surrender ourselves to the Divine Lord, this is the symbolism, Swami Chinmayanandaji has put it in a beautiful language, so I will read out to you, subjectively in each one of us when the churning is done in our purified sattvic mind with the intellect Andhara that supports the mind and the rope of the ego serpent Vasuki by the lower Asuras and the higher Devas means whether our thoughts are of lower nature, worldly nature or spiritual nature there cannot be a divided mind a what is called bifurcated mind I want both world, I also want spiritual it must become completely one, that is the purpose of Uparati and Dharana then only Dhyana will come so in the early stages of meditation and poison will come minute emptying, see this emerge, but if the churning is continued, time will come, when we must give up, surrender all these things, otherwise we will never get immortality so surrender yourself to Gnanam, who is represented by Shiva himself ego and ego centric desires should not be allowed to poison either the head or the heart of the meditator at this stage of our spiritual development, naturally when the churning continues supreme experience is unfolded and the goal is gained many are the sadhakas who fall down by the road side either overcome unable to overcome because they never surrendered themselves because of the egotism, that is why Lord Shiva is given the epithet three eyed and Neelakantam that is, this is one of the incomparable mystic pictures that signify the mighty one, who on waking up to the God consciousness transcends the limited vision of the world of names and forms and comes to live with the universal oneness, that is very very important for us to understand, then Prasantham if we surrender ourselves our obstacles we are helped by Lord Shiva knowledge in the form of higher knowledge and then our mind becomes Prasantham absolutely serene one pointed and with that Prasantham mind, serene mind which is like like in a windless room, a lamp is lighted, no air is allowed to come and affect and it burns without any flickering when the mind becomes attains to such a state it is called Prasantham then Munihi such a person, now go ahead with your meditation, Vyatva you meditate upon this Parameshwara Umasahaya, then what does he get? Gachchati this person attains Gachchati means attains what does he attain? Self knowledge what is that knowledge? Bhuta Yoni that person attains to the supreme reality, who is the very cause Yoni means origin the cause of the entire universe consisting of Jivas and as well as the so called Pranis and Jadas and then he even though created, not like worldly people, Samastha Sakshim through the Sun, through the Moon, through the Nakshatras through 24 hours he is witnessing and especially sitting in the very centre of our heart, he is because he is watching everything whatever we thought, whatever we were remembering whatever we have stored what we are going to do whatever happened in the past what is going to happen in the future, what is going to happen in the present everything he knows Tamasaha Parasthaat Gachchati, he goes beyond all Agnana Tamasaha is defined as Avidya, what is Avidya? Absence of forgetfulness of what is called self-knowledge when Arjuna was asked he says that my Moha, Nashto Mohaha Smrutihilabdha Tvatprasadat by your grace Maya Achuta O Achuta, you held me and you removed all the false memories that I am Arjuna I am a Rajkumara, I am Pandava I have to fight these people now I know, I am the Atman and everybody is the same Atman there are no two, everything is one so this is the ultimate result, what is the essence of this? Essence is that we have to take the help of Umasaha here I will unravel a secret for you when we are talking about meditate upon Parameshwara and he should be that meditation should be done with the help of Uma, what it means is, it is only the Jagat Janani, earlier I have quoted, unless Mother Kali cuts down all the bonds we are meshed up with, we are caught in the net of three Gunas even if Shiva comes and gives the Taraka Mantra it is of absolutely no use, that is what Holy Mother said my son, I am Mahamaya, nobody can get out of me and Mukti is in my fist to whomsoever I wish I can give instantaneously Vidhya Jagadathishthana Muktida Muktirupini this is the meaning of this Shivanta Mantra, we will continue tomorrow May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with Bhakti Jai Ramakrishna