Mandukya Karika Lecture 044 on 30 March 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVYAM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADME DAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU OM BADRAM KARNE VISHRUNAYAM DEVAH BADRAM PARSHIM AKSHABHIRYA JATRAH THIRAI RANGAYE STUSHTU VAGAM SASTANUBE VYASHAYI MADEVA HITAM YADAYO SWASTHINA INDRO VRIDDHA SHRAVAHA SWASTHINA PUSHA VISHWA VEDAHA SWASTHINA STHARKSHO ARISHTANIMI SWASTHINOM PRAHASPATIR DADHATU OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HARI OM OM O Gods, may we always hear with our ears what is auspicious. O worshipful ones, may we with our eyes always see what is auspicious. May we live our allotted life hale and hearty, offering our praises unto Thee. May Indra of ancient fame bestow auspiciousness on us. May the all-nourishing potion be propitious to us. May Garuda, the destroyer of all evil, be well disposed towards us. May Brihaspati ensure our welfare. OM, Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all. So, in our last classes, we have been exploring Gaudapada's karikas. After the 6th mantra of the Mandukya Upanishad is over, Gaudapada wants to summarize what the Upanishad is trying to teach us through these 6 mantras. And he is bringing in front of our eyes certain things. Only when we understand them, the benefit will be there. What is that? He says, what is the Upanishad doing? It wants to tell, Brahman is everything. First mantra. Second, Omkara is everything. Brahman is the object. The named Omkara is the name. That means everything is Omkara or everything is Brahman. But that is the scripture's teaching. What is our experience from birth to birth? And life after life? From birth to death? We are experiencing continuously. How many states? Only 3 states. The waking, the dream, then the deep sleep. Continuously, we are cycling through these 3. There is no 4th state at all. Excepting for a realized soul who would always be in that 4th state. But this word 4th state is not something different. It is the Turiya, it is the Brahman. It wants to play. How does it play? It puts on 3 types of dresses. One gross type of dress is called Sthula Sharira. So, Sthula Prapancha. Then a little bit more refined dress which is called Dream Sharira. Tai Jasa and Subtle World. And then still very thin layer. Yet enlightenment is not there. Because even a thin layer is covering. Called Prajna. And that is the Karana Sharira. Karana means from which again sequentially, the dream, the waking, and then again deep sleep, again waking, dream, etc. Constantly, continuously, sequentially, experience is taking place. This is our experience. So, are there 3 beings? One experiencing the waking state, one experiencing the dream state, and another experiencing the deep sleep state. That is the first confusion to be resolved. Second confusion, when we are experiencing in the waking state, there are 2 factors. Not only I am experiencing, every living creature is experiencing. So, the world is divided into 2. The experiencer and the experience. So, how many experiences? Myriads of experiences. How many experiencers? Myriads of experiencers. I, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Ramakrishna, everybody is experiencing. That is what ignorant people think. But what does the mantra say? The Mandukya Upanishad says that there is only one Brahman, we call it Turiya, and its name is Omkara. Brahman is also a name. Turiya is another name. Omkara is another name. It is everything. So, how many people are experiencing? He who experiences the waking, the dream, the deep sleep is one. How many experiences? The experience called waking world, the experience called subtle world, the experience called causal world, they are not 3 different things. So, from the waking point of also, I, you, X, Y, Z, they are not different, but appears to be different, like reflections in a broken mirror. Imagine a mirror is broken into 10 pieces and all separate. And if some object is in front of it, how many reflections we see? 10 reflections. The only difference or problem with this example is these reflections, they are lifeless. But unfortunately, X, Y, Z, I and you and it and she, they all appear to be completely conscious, but unable to understand. The body-mind is inert, but there is only one being. We have seen in the Bhagavad Gita. There is only one Kshetragna, many Kshetras. Apply the same rule to dream also. Apply the same rule to the deep sleep state also. When I am in deep sleep, you are in deep sleep, there is no I and you. It is only one Turiya, which is experiencing. The experience is one. The experiencer is one. The instrument of experiences is also one. There is absolutely no division. This is the summary of what he wants to teach through some of these karikas. Let us briefly recollect. In the third karika, Vishvohi, Sthula Bhok. That type, what is called Turiya or Brahman. He puts on a dress called Sthula Sharira and he takes a name called Vishwa. What does he do? Sthula Bhok Nityam. So long as he is in the waking state, he will be experiencing. Now we have to understand that there is only one Brahman, but in the form of Virat. Virat means universal. So person number one, person number two, person number hundred, person number thousand, or every living creature, they are all different bodies, different minds. But the experiencer, the Vishwa, is not an individual. He is as Virat. He is only one. To think we are the individual is called part of the Avidya or Mahamaya. So what does this Brahman, assuming the form of Vishwa-Virat, he experiences Sthula Bhok, experiences what is called gross object, gross experience. Nityam. So long as he is in the waking state. Not only that, every time he is in the waking state. Similarly, the same Brahman seemingly discards the dress of the Vishwa, puts on Taiyasa. Every time we have to supply, Taiyasa means Hiranyagarbha, the universal. Pravivekta Bhok. Bhok means experiencer. And Pravivekta Bhok, something different. Vivekta means different. Pravivekta means totally different, completely different. From what? From Sthula Prapancha. That means Sukshma Prapancha. That is the meaning. So he will be enjoying, only one Hiranyagarbha, he is enjoying the whole subtle world in taking the dress of Sukshma Sarira and assuming the name of Taiyasa and Hiranyagarbha. And then the same person, he puts on very thin type of veil and then what happens? Everything becomes submerged. The enjoyer enjoys, the experiencer experiences, the body is merged in the mind, the mind is merged in the Karana Sarira, so there is no difference. The whole world as it were is merged and then that is experienced as one unit. And then so much of duality is not there, so much of enjoyment is there and he is called Prajnaha, remember Prajna and Ishwara and what is he experiencing? Ananda Bhok, Ananda. Ananda because there is no Raga Dvesha, there is no subject-object, there is no Dhritiya, second, there is no Dvaita, everything becomes one. And that itself will give tremendous happiness, nothing but happiness. But that happiness is not to be mistaken as Sukha, it is something from which both Sukha and Dukkha come. These are difficult concepts, but I will try to illustrate. Supposing there is a beautiful light, 100 watt bulb giving brilliant light, but you are operating it through a dimmer switch. So as you go on playing with the dimmer, sometimes the light increases, sometimes the light decreases. This increment and decrement is not affecting the light. That which covers the light, that is affected. But because we see dim light, we see bright light, we think they are properties of the light. Light has nothing to do, it is 100% the same. You put a thick black glass, very little light percolates. Put thinner and thinner glasses, more and more light percolates. That is how dimmer switch operates in the form of controlling the wattage. That's all. But electricity manifesting in the form of light is exactly the same. But here in this deep sleep state, the dimmer switch is completely off and it is neither darkness nor light, but that light from which, depending upon the covering, sometimes we call it dark, sometimes we call it bright. That original light with a thin veil of darkness, but in its all brilliance, and here light means we are talking about Ananda. It is that which is the Moolakarana of both Sukha as well as Dukha. That's why it is called Ananda Bhuk. In the form of Prajneshwara, Tridha Bhogam Nibodhata. Bhogam means experience. So it is for the sake of practical life divided into waking experience, dream experience and deep sleep experience, but it is one and the same. That is what we have seen earlier. Similarly, the same idea is expounded in the fourth mantra. What is it telling? An experience must produce a result. Suppose you are eating some food. Food is an object. You are the eater. Food is the eater. And these two come into contact. Food and the eater become one. So that is called action. That is called experience. But what does this experience lead to? The result of the experience. So what is the result? If it is unsavoury food, you feel unhappy. If it is tasty food, you feel happy. So that is what is being said here so beautifully. That means gross world in the form of gross experience completely satisfies only Vishwa because the Taijasa cannot experience, the Prajna cannot experience the waking state. Similarly, the deep sleep and the waker cannot experience. Being a waker, being a deep sleeper, cannot experience dream. Similarly, a deep sleep person, Prajna and Ishwara, cannot at the same time experience because the object of experience is totally different. What is this object of experience? Gross body is the object of the instrument of experience in the waking state. Subtle body is the instrument of experience in the dream state. So without these instruments and the type of experience depends purely upon the instrument. That is what he wants to tell. This gross experience completely only satisfies Vishwa and Virat. And this Sukshma, Pravivikta means Sukshma, that is Sukshma Prapanchaya experience completely satisfies. Tarpayate, we have to add every time. So this Pravivikta, Tarpayate, Taijasam. Similarly, Anandasya, Tatha, Prajna. That means this Ananda experience that completely satisfies Prajna and Ishwara. Trita, Triptim, Nibodhata. So these are the three types of experiences, satisfactions, Anandas, which Brahman, Turiyam, in the name of these three experiences, Triptim, Nibodhata. Now, it looks, how many dresses? Three. How many individuals? Three. Three dresses means Tola Sharira, Sukshma Sharira, Karana Sharira. How many experiencers putting on this dress? Vishwa, Virat, Taijasayana, Nigarbha, Prajna and Ishwara. How many types of experiences? Sthula Prapancha, gross world, Sukshma Prapancha, subtle world, Karana Prapancha, causal world. It looks as though three different people, three different states, dresses, and three different experiences, and to understand things in that way is called Vidya. No, it should not be there. That is what he wants to explain in this fifth karika. Trishu Dhamasu, Yad Bhojyam, Bhokta Yashcha Prakirtitha, Veda Etat Ubhayam Yastu, Sabunjano Nalipyate. Trishu means in three. Dhamasu means states. Dhama. So, Bharata Dhama. Dhama means abode. Here, state. What are the states? Sagradha Vastha, Swapna Vastha, Sushupti Vastha. So, in these three states, Yad Bhojyam, that which is appearing, and we call it by that name, gross experience, subtle experience, causal experience, Yad Bhojyam, three types of experiences, and Yashcha Bhokta, as if there are three enjoyers, Prajna, Taijasa, and Vishwa. So, these are not three types of experiences. These are not three types of people. These are not three types of the worlds. They are all stemming from one being only. So, Eta Ubhayam. Ubhayam means these two. These two means the experiencer, as well as the experience, in all the three states. That's all. Waking state, experiencer, experienced. Dream state, experiencer, experienced. In the deep sleep state, experiencer, experienced. This Ubhayam, the knower and the known, the experiencer and the experienced. Eta Ubhayam, Veda, he who is witnessing all these things, Yastu, Sabunjanu, even though he himself seems to be undergoing, Nalipyate, he is not contaminated, that means he doesn't fall under the spell of Mahamaya. He doesn't have any Agnana, Avidya. We can reverse it and say, only that person, who used to think, in this state, I was the waker, in this state, okay, let me put it this way, in this state, I was the waker, experiencing the waking world, and putting on the Sthula Sharira, through this Sthula Sharira, and my name is Vishwa and Virat. Similarly, this is called subtle world, Sookshma Prapancha, my body is Sookshma Sharira, my name is Taizasa and Hiranyagarbha, and I am experiencing subtle world. Similarly, I am Prajna and Vishwara, and this is causal world, causal body, through which I experience, as if these three are totally different. So how many? Three into two, six. That is Sthula Sharira, Sthula Prapancha. Sookshma Sharira, Sookshma Prapancha. Karana Sharira, Karana Prapancha. No, it is the one being, who takes on a particular dress, means Sthula Sharira, calls himself Vishwa, experiences gross world, same person experiences the same world, in its subtle state, with the help of the subtle body, assuming the name of Taizasa and Hiranyagarbha, and same being discards that, puts on Karana Sharira, known as Prajna and Vishwara, and experiences what is called Karana Prapancha or Avidya Prapancha. But it is not true. There are not three, because we always say, it was I who was in the waking state, it was I who was in the dream state, it was I who was in the deep sleep state. I never mistake that, one person was in the waking state, another person was in the dream state, another person was in the deep sleep state. So that person, who is awakened to the truth, he is purely a witness. He is not even any participant at all. I will give you an illustration of the point very clear, very soon. So the enlightened soul, the awakened soul, it knows that all these parts are being played, it's not I. First I will give you the teaching of Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna was teaching, and marvellous teaching he has given. And the audience, they say, Sir, you have given us beautiful teaching. Sri Ramakrishna says, I know nothing. It is my Divine Mother, who in the form of this particular, my particular body and mind, is teaching to people like you. I have nothing to do. I am just a witness. I know nothing about the teaching, I don't know how to teach, and I have absolutely no desire to teach. But this body-mind, which you call Sri Ramakrishna, is being used by the Divine Mother. So that is one example. I hope the point is clear. So let us stretch this example a little and say, somebody praises Sri Ramakrishna, and Sri Ramakrishna says, I don't know anything. If you are praising, the praise belongs to Mother. Somebody is criticizing. Sri Ramakrishna's mind is not agitated at all. He will say, it is the Divine Mother who is being criticized, because I have nothing to do. I am not teaching, and that knowledge doesn't belong to me. Only through this body-mind instrument, Mother is doing Her own work. Mother is doing or Mother has done Her own work through Holy Mother, through Swami Vivekananda, through the direct disciples, through Ramana Maharshi, through every realized soul. After realization, He knows. This is what the fifth karika wants to say. First of all, there are no three experiencers. It is one turiya. Second, there are no three worlds, because the world is also a creation of the Bhagawan only. Or Bhagawan Himself divides Himself into the experiencer and the experienced. I will come to that point also very soon. So, everything is Ishwara only. Now, to understand this point, many times I have given the example, supposing you are dreaming. You are the one waker, and you lie down on bed. How many of you are lying? Only you are lying. Then soon you have a dream, and you create the entire dream world. Who created? You created. What is the nature of the dream world? There also you perceive yourself. There also you say, I am so and so, but I am coming across good persons, bad persons, and living things, non-living things. You have different experiences. Everything is nothing but you. You yourself are divided into both the enjoyer and the enjoyed also. Not only that, very quickly you will also see that if it is a positive experience, you only create it. If it is a negative experience, you only create it. But so long as you are dreaming, you will never understand that this is my creation. I am the creator. In fact, there is no difference between the subject and the object. The enjoyer and the enjoyed, everything is one and the same. But as soon as you wake up, you understand, I became the good person in my dream, I became the bad person in my dream, and the good person praised me, I praised myself. The bad person criticized me, I criticized myself. But as soon as we wake up, this point is crystal clear. I was the experiencer, I was the instrument of experience, body, mind, and I was that one experience, good or bad. If we can understand this analogy of the dream, then apply it to this present karika, 5th karika, that all the three states, it is one person, Brahman, Turiyam, but with three different dresses. But the dresses do not contaminate the Turiyam. Now I will give another illustration, you will understand it. Supposing there is an actor, and this actor has acted in a cinema, and in that cinema he was acting the role of a spy. And what does the spy do? For different occasions, sometimes he is dressing himself as a young person, sometimes as an old person, sometimes as a rich person, sometimes as a beggar, sometimes as a man, sometimes as a woman, sometimes a young person, sometimes an old person. Imagine, so many roles he has played, and the cinema is taken, and then this person is sitting, other actors also sitting, director and the producer, and the actors and actresses, all those cameramen, everybody is previewing, there is something called previewing. And this person, who acted as the spy, is also sitting there. And how many things he is seeing, with each dress, his experience is totally different. But here he knows, it is me, this particular person, who had put on the dress in that occasion, and then acted in that way, came across such people, and at that time, I was recognized and beaten. In another occasion, I could deceive others, I had both pleasant and unpleasant experiences, but I am one, my experience is one, and there is nobody else excepting me. Now, instead of imagining many actors and actresses, imagine that you are the only person who acted the role of the hero, heroine, villain, you know sometimes a person acts both Rama and Ramanasura, like N.T.Ramarao, like Krishna and Duryodhana, like that. So, he will be judging, he will be enjoying. All those things are appearing, but not real. Who is real? It is me. All those experiences are unreal. All those roles, unreal. Who is real? Me, who acted. You have to take it that way. The Turiyam, as if it were, it is acting in the roles of every single living Upadhi, body, mind, instrument, and as well both living and non-living, and therefore waking, dream, dreamless. Trishudhamasu, Adbhojyam, Adbhokta, is only one, one experience and one experiencer. Ultimately, it is the same who in one form is experiencer, another form is the experienced also. For that I will give another example. You stand in front of a mirror and now what are you looking? Your own reflection. So, in this example, you are the actor and the reflection is what you are experiencing and you use that reflection to correct yourself. And exactly, our different roles in this world have only one purpose. The whole universe is nothing but a mirror reflecting us and the purpose of looking at this reflection in the mirror called the Vishwa has only one purpose. How can I correct myself? What does it mean? How can I know who am I really? And if you remove all the dresses and there is no more dress to be removed, that is the real me and that is what we have to understand how beautifully this is being made in this fifth one. He who knows both the experiencer and the objects of experience that had been associated with the three states of waking, dream and dreamless is not affected though experiencing the objects because he knows this is only a pretense, it is not reality. Why is it not reality? We have discussed it elaborately. I hope you will remember it. Why does it not affect? Reflection cannot affect you. Secondly, anything you are experiencing, I am experiencing, is changing. Waking, we think, is reality but when we go to dream, the waking reality is dead. The dream reality has come into being and then you come to deep sleep state. Both waking reality and dream reality are dead. Only the causal reality remains and as soon as we wake up, so the dream reality and the deep sleep reality are destroyed. Now put yourself the question, when I am in the waking state, what is reality? Waking state. When we are in the dream state, what is the reality? Only dream state. When we are in the deep sleep state, that alone is the reality. How do we know? Because one beautiful way of understanding is what is reality? I am not talking from the highest standpoint. Whatever affects us, that is reality. We are not talking whether it is real or not. Whatever is affecting, if we know it is not real, it will not affect us. But if we think it is real, it will affect us. And with this criteria, waking state affects the waker. Dream reality affects the dreamer. Similarly, deep sleeper is affected by the deep sleep world. What is the effect, you may ask. I am not experiencing anything. That is a foolish statement. We are experiencing bliss. Bliss is the effect of experiencing deep sleep. Similarly, in the waking and dream state, sometimes good, sometimes bad. But the specialty of Sushupti is pure bliss because the subject and object have merged themselves, become one. That means the whole world and the experiencer of the world have become one. That means there is no good or bad. There is no likes or dislikes. And that state, that tranquil state, unaffected by raga dvesha, likes and dislikes, is called Ananda. Ananda, my question. That is what we have to understand. So the person who understands through spiritual sadhana that it is the Brahman which, putting on three dresses, is playing with itself, but it is completely Brahman and it is not affected by any of these states because it is He Himself. This is a very subtle point. He Himself cannot be affected. You know like how, supposing one day, your over-ripe imagination, you sit and you want to daydream and then say that I will pretend that I am attacking myself. What harm can you do to yourself? Because you cannot do however much you may pretend. That evil person whom you are trying to, it cannot affect you because your true nature can never be affected. That is a very subtle point. That is what we will come to know when we go into the Shankarabhashya. Now Shankarabhashya is run. Trishu, Dhamasu, three states. What are they? Jagrat, Adheshu, Jagrat, etc. That means Jagrat, Swapna and Sushupti. Sthula, Pravivikta, Anandakhya. What is the name? Jagrat Avastha, Sthula Prapancha. And Sukshma Prapancha, Pravivikta. Sukshma Prapancha. In the deep sleep, Anandakhyam. Yad Bhojyam Ekam. That which is Bhojyam means experienced. Ekam, it is only one. Tridabhutam, as if it is divided into three, but it is only one. Yashcha, Vishvatayasa Prajnakhyo. Yashcha, Yahcha, He. Bhokta, the experiencer. Ekaha is only one. What does it mean? His name is Vishwa, his name is Taiyasa, his name is Pragya, but he is only Brahman or Turiya. He sometimes calls himself Vishwa, calls sometimes as Taiyasa, calls sometimes as Prajna. Ekaha Bhokta, one experiencer, one enjoyer. Soham. How do we know? Because this is our everyday experience. Yesterday, I was in that waking state, I was in the office, and I came home, had nice dinner, and laid down, and I had a beautiful dream. And then, I don't know, I entered into deep sleep, and like a log, I slept till early morning. This person is telling, I was the waker, I was the dreamer, I was the sleeper. So, Soham. I am that one. Who is called Vishwa? Who is called Taiyasa? Who is called Pragya? During those three states, iti ekatvena, like this as unity, oneness, pratisandhanat, that means this is how the Bhokta is not divided, but remains a unit. Same unit. Pratisandhana means that relationship. I was the waker, I was the dreamer, I was the sleeper. Pratisandhanat. Drashtratva avisheshat cha. Prakirtitaha. He is well-mentioned. Prakirtitaha means well-known. Drashtratva avisheshat. Drashtratva means the knower. Not as three knowers. Vishwa is one knower, Taiyasa is another knower, Pragya is another knower. No, I am the only one who was the waker, who was the dreamer, who was the sleeper. So, avisheshat. That means there is no separation. Visheshat means speciality. There is no separating factor. Only one person. So, the experiencer of the three states, known differently as Vishwa, Taiyasa and Pragya, is described as one on account of the unity of consciousness. Pratisandhana means unity of consciousness. Always we are there. I was the waker, I was the dreamer, I was the sleeper. For this you don't need any book. Everybody will say, yesterday I was there. Day before yesterday, I was there. The day before that, I was there. Nobody says, yesterday, three days back, person was different. Two days back, person was different. And today, I have come and occupied this body-mind. Nobody will say. Even a fool will not say. So, these three, Vishwa, Taiyasa and Pragya, has been described as one on account of the unity of consciousness implied in these three cognitions as I am that. Means, I am the waker, I am the dreamer, I am the sleeper. As well as from the absence of any distinction in respect of the perceiver. Nobody will say, as Vishwa, I was different. As Taiyasa, I was different. As Pragya, I was different. I was only exactly the same person. Yo Veda, he who knows, etadubhayam, these two, bhojya-bhoktrutaya. That means, the same person has divided himself, both as the experience as well as the experiencer. Anekadabhinnam. As if, he has divided himself into a thousand reflections, thousand mirrors, thousand minds, thousand reflections, thousand bodies, thousand mirrors, thousand reflections. But he is one. Understand also, He has got millions of heads, millions of hands, millions of feet, millions of eyes. What does it mean? Millions of eyes. Rama has got two eyes. Krishna has got two eyes. A fly has got two eyes. An elephant has got two eyes. How many? So many. No. Eko Narayana. Only one Narayana. He, when his reflection appears through the mirror of Nama Rupa, he is called an elephant, he is called a mosquito, he is called Rama, he is called Krishna, X, Y, Z, whatever number. That is what he is telling here. There is only one waker, there is only one dreamer, there is only one sleeper, they are only one. Not only the waker, dreamer and sleeper is one, that which he is experiencing is also one only. Bhokta bhojyam. Experiencer, experienced, are one only. And finally, both of them represent only the Brahman. There is no difference. Brahman has become, as it were, divided into the experiencer and the experienced. The bhokta and the bhojyam, he is playing, that is called Leela. Because all objects of experience are experienced by one subject alone. Therefore, he cannot be affected by what happens in different states. For that, Shankaracharya is giving a very beautiful analogy. Nothing is added or taken away from the knowingness or awareness of the Atman by its experience of that which is its object. That is to say, a subject is changeless. The object may be different, but the object does not alter the knowledge of the subject. That is a very deep thing. And Shankaracharya gives an old analogy. Tadvat means just like that. Just like that example. What is it? So what does it mean? It means, supposing there is a fire and you add one ton of firewood. It appears a big fire. The heat of the fire is exactly the same. It doesn't become less. It doesn't become more if the firewood is less. For example, let us say the fire has got 100 degrees of heat. Now, if you put a small piece of paper or a dry blade of grass. Oh, I am burning a small bit of paper. So I will be only 1 degree heat. And then you put one ton of dry firewood. Now I will be 1000 degrees. No, the heat will be exactly the same. Is it the same? For our purpose, it looks as though the fire has become a huge bonfire. If you put a small piece of paper, it is a small fire. The smallness and bigness, take notice, is not because of the fire becoming bigger or smaller, but because of the object. If the object is small, the fire appears to be small. If the object is big, the fire appears to be big. But the heating power of the fire neither increases nor decreases. This is a marvellous truth. You have to think over it. So with this fifth one, what we have seen, that though it appears to be all the three experiencers, because of the three states, Trishudhamasu, and each experience seems to be different, but no. They are all experience. Period. Don't say good experience, bad experience, pleasant experience, unpleasant experience. Don't even bring that subject. Simply say experience and the experiencer. Ultimately, Brahman has divided himself. To understand this seemingly contradictory statement, you will have to remember that Swapnavastha, you yourself have become, created the entire world consisting of the experiencer and the experienced. So with this, the fifth karika is over. Now something wonderful is going to come in the future. Earlier, you remember that Prana, which is equated with Ishwara, which is equated with Saguna Brahma, that subject is being taken up now. What is the purpose? I will give you a crystal clear background. See, according to Gaudapada, his philosophy is called that there is no creation at all. It is called Ajatavada. Jata means creation. Jatavada means the theory which says that from Brahman, this world has come. Therefore, that which is the cause is Brahman. That which is the effect is called the world. So this world has come. The cause of the world is Ishwara. So finally, the world gets resolved in Ishwara. Karya becomes resolved in Karana. And Karana is resolved in its uncaused cause, which is Parabrahman. This is how every scripture is telling. Not because that is what it wants to tell. Because for small children, you will have to first say, I see this tiger in front of me. Yes, yes, yes. And you save me. Yes, yes, yes. I will save you. Imagine. A small example. A child is playing. Suddenly, a tiger appears in front of him. Through the window, it is peeping intently at the child. And the child becomes terrified. And it says, Mama, a tiger is about to kill me. Save me. And immediately the mother will tell, Hey, tiger, get out of this place. And then the tiger backs off. And then the child becomes pacified. Because to teach the child that really there is no tiger in that state of fear, he will not accept it. So the tiger has disappeared. And the child becomes very quiet. And he becomes fearless. And then the mother tells, Baba, you know, some time back you got frightened of the tiger? Yes, Mama. A huge tiger is staring at me. Had you not come, it would have eaten. The mother laughs and says, My child, it is your elder brother who has put on that mask to frighten you. The child says, Is it so? Yes, yes, I will show you. Come. And she will take the child into the next room where her elder son is still having that mask of a tiger. And he looks. Now the child gets very angry. You have frightened me unnecessarily. What does he do? He will go to the elder brother and starts beating him up with his tiny hands. You have frightened me. So imagine, we are like that frightened children. So I say, I am born. Yes, yes, yes, you are born. I am becoming old. Yes, yes, that is very true. And I am suffering from a disease. Yes, yes, it is very true. And I am eating rasagulla and feeling very happy. Yes, yes, yes, that is true. So all this is accepted. Then the mind becomes calm. And then you ask afterwards, what is the truth? The truth is, neither you are born nor you are a body-mind. When you are not born, that means when the effect itself is not there, the cause itself also will not be there. And that is called Ajatavada. But straight away if somebody says, there is no Srishti, there is no bondage, there is no sadhana, it is not going to be accepted. This special method of trying to teach affected, ignorant, suffering children like us, adopted by the scriptures, this methodology is called Adhyaropa Apavada Prakriya. Methodology of Adhyaropa. Means what? Yes, yes, there is a snake. We have to kill it. And then this fellow takes a light and goes on beating the snake. Now it is dead. And then the person becomes very happy. And he goes near, because he believes, the elder person, I have killed it, you go and see. And then with the help of light, the elder person takes this frightened person nearer and nearer. Now he has no fear because there is a snake, but it is dead now. And then as he goes near, there is no snake at all. It is only a rope. But when the child is frightened, we are all children like that, if we say that it is not a real snake, it is straight away a rope, then we will discard that Guru, that scripture, because it is our... I was born so many years back, you know how much I had to struggle to study and pass my exams, and you come and say I was never born. He will not listen to all those things. It will take time. So first the scripture says, yes, creation is real. Everything in the creation is real. Good and evil is also real. Everything is real. When a person grows up, the same scripture now says, Apavada, there was no creation. There was no creator. The Brahman has never become created. This special prakriya is called Adhyaropa, Apavada prakriya. But until we grow up and become fit to receive this teaching, we have to accept creation. So Gaudapada, who teaches this Ajatavada, the theory that there is no creation at all, he goes on describing all these things only to completely deny all these things in the end. But for the sake of a frightened child, we have to accept all those things. And that is the prakriya we are going to discuss in the next class onwards. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padapatmetayos Ritva Pranamame Mohur Mohur May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti and greater understanding. Jai Ramakrishna.