Mandukya Karika Lecture 059 on 13 July 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADMITAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUR OM BADRAM KANNE VISHRUNAYA MADEVAHA BADRAM PASHEM AAKSHA BHIRYA JATRAHA STHIRAI RANGAYE STUSHTU VAGUM SASTANO BHE VYASHE MADEVAHI TANYADAYO SWASTHINA INDRO VRIDDHA SHRAVAHA SWASTHINA PUSHA VISHRAVEDAHA SWASTHINA STARKSHO ARISHTANIMI SWASTHINO BRHASPATIR DADHATU OM SHANTE SHANTE SHANTE HARE 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 all of us. May the all-nourishing potion be propitious to all of us. May Garuda, the destroyer of all evil, be well disposed towards all of us. May Brihaspati ensure all our welfare. OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL We have almost come to the end of the mantra seven explanation by Gaudapada Acharya of Mandukya Upanishad, seventh mantra, which is describing the real state of the Turiyam. Remember, Turiyam means Brahman, Brahman means Atman, Atman means Me. I am the Atman. So I am Atma. In the second mantra, that is the explanation, the whole Mandukya Karika is an explanation. If I am Atman, then what is all this life? What is the world? And the world is nothing but what I experience. And the world is experienced in three states, the waking, the dream and the deep sleep, dreamless sleep. What is the nature of this experience? All the three states of experiences contradict each other. They are temporary. They are ever-changing. They depend upon the experiencer, which is Me completely, but that Me, the subject, the pure consciousness is changeless. It goes through all these states. So that subject, pure consciousness, nitya, shuddha, buddha, mukta, rupa, consciousness is completely free. But then, what about this world? Is it untrue? The way we look at it is untrue. But in reality, it is not untrue. How come? That is what, in this particular seventh mantra, the Mandukya Upanishad wants to make it clear and Gaudapada wants to make it even more clear to people like us. Is the world real or unreal? As we experience it, as we understand it, I am separate from the world, I am the experiencer and what I experience goes through three different changes. That view is a wrong view. That is called ignorance. So two separate conditions are mentioned. As I mentioned, this Gaudapada wants to confuse us. Already we are confused, but he wants to confuse us even more by using different words. Karyam and Karanam, Nidra and Swapna, Avarana Shakti and Vikshepa Shakti, Swapna and Nidra. We understand Swapna means dream state, Nidra means dreamless state, but he is trying to explain using it in a slightly different way. Dream means not knowing what we are and thinking that we know what we are in a totally opposed way. The changeless appears as changeful, but we think the changeful is the changeless. That which is temporary, we think it is real. Even though we experience, everything is changing. So the waking state and the dream state, they suffer, they get bound by two conditions. One is not knowing who one is and another is thinking I am somebody else, I am different, we are many. Many Atmas are there, many Jivatmas are there and many things are there in this world, etc. In contrast, in the deep sleep state, Jivatma is bound only by one condition, not knowing what he is. He doesn't say I am somebody else and that is the point he wants to derive through all these karikas. Naturally, the question that arises is, is this world real or unreal? So Vedanta gives a peculiar term called Mithya. What is Mithya? It is neither Sat nor Asat, neither real nor unreal. How do we understand it? If we think this world is not Brahma, that is to say that two things, two important ways, that everything is different from me, I am different from everything is the first point. Second point is, I don't see Brahman, I see every object as reality and we interact as if it is real, as though it is real. I am not saying, I am using the words, not as though, it is real and we behave as though God is not real. So this is the second condition. First condition, I am separate, everything is separate, this is called Dwaitam. Second condition is, everything is real, even though everything is separate, everything is always changing. From this viewpoint, I am unreal because I am part of the world and world is unreal. Then what is reality? Reality is to know that it is only Brahman. I am Brahman, the tree in front of me is a Brahman, the river is Brahman, the mountains are Brahman, everything that we see is Brahman. And then again two characteristics, Brahman is appearing in various forms, like gold appearing as various ornaments, clay appearing as various karyas, pots, pots, different sizes, different shapes, different colors, different purposes, they are all real, forgetting the reality is only clay. The Nama and Rupa and Prayujana, that is always changing, but the clay will never change. As an example, don't say that clay is Brahman. Brahman is clay, but clay is not Brahman. So if we can realize everything is God, God is everything, but God is appearing as everything, as if there are a billion, billion mirrors and different colored mirrors, different densities of the reflecting medium, so the reflections differ. Don't pay attention to the reflections, but pay attention to what is reflected. That alone is real. This grand truth, Ramakrishna is putting it through one of the classic Advaita Vedanta examples only. There are many examples given. One example is Dasamastvamasi, you are the tenth man. The other example is, Ramakrishna gives this beautiful example, very meaningful example. Suppose the sun is shining, there are ten pots full of water, water naturally reflects the sun. So how many suns are there? One real sun and ten reflected suns. We forget the real sun and we don't see it as reflection, because reflection means there is something in front of the mirror and that is being reflected. No, the reflection idea is forgotten and that is the real sun. That is the problem we encounter when we forget everything is reflection of Brahman or Nama Rupa. So Ramakrishna continues, supposing one pot is broken, naturally one reflection goes and we have to understand along with the destruction of the pot and water with the pot, because pot is not important. It is the water which is important. Pot doesn't reflect the sun. Pot is only a container. Similarly, our body is the container, our mind is like the water, pot water, water in the pot and our mind is reflecting Chidabasa. That's why we call it Chidabasa. But thinking Chidabasa is real, I am real, my body is real, my mind is real, that is called bondage. But if we can understand that it is Chidabasa, I am the Chidabasa. Whenever you look at your reflection, it is a very interesting psychological phenomenon. When do you look? You are not interested in the reflection. You are interested in what the reflection shows, what knowledge it gives you. My hair is awry, my face is not made up, my dress is not done properly. It is only for the purpose of correcting myself. That is why every saint is a darpana, but we forget the reflection. We focus upon, oh, this saint is real, his body is real and his mind is real. He loves sweets or he hates something, so I must please him. So we make his body, his mind more important, real Brahman. This is called idol worship. This philosophy is a marvellous philosophy and this subject is very widely, deeply discussed in a topic called Upasana. What is true Upasana? I am not going into that in this class, because I did discuss about it in some of the Gita classes, what is Upasana, etc. There are different types of Upasana, Pratikopasana, Pratimopasana. Then there are Upasanas called Ahamgrahopasana, which is most important. So here what is important is when we look at our Guru, we forget Guru is Brahman and we are supposed to reflect that we see a Brahman in him and that is our reflection. The Guru's good qualities are what we lack and what we need to see in him, not the body, but those qualities which we require to nourish, to strengthen, if at all they are there, if not, to cultivate those qualities, to establish, strengthen those qualities. That is called true Upasana. So coming back to this beautiful parable of Sri Ramakrishna, here one pot is broken. Pot is not important. The water will not be there. Along with the water, the reflection goes away. How many suns are there? Sri Ramakrishna asks and somebody replies, now one real sun, nine reflected suns, ten. Then Sri Ramakrishna says, nine pots are broken. How many suns are there? And the devotee thinks himself very clever and then he replies, we also will reply, we can put ourselves in his place, man or woman, one real sun, one reflected sun. And then Sri Ramakrishna asks, that tenth pot is also broken. How many suns are there? And then the fellow says, there is one real sun shining in the sky. Immediately the heavy hammer comes down, Mohamudugara comes down from Sri Ramakrishna. He says, no, because who is telling this? It is you who think you are real and the sun is there. You are experiencing the sun. The Paramatma is your imagination and He is not real. He is your thought. He is your vritti and you are making judgment and there is only one real sun. There cannot be somebody who has to say one real sun. I don't know how much the devotee understood, but what is the point? This is what Gaudapada wants to say, that if you can say only Brahman is there, I am that Brahman, there is nobody else, but then what do I see? I see myself in so many forms and that seeing will not bind us because just as your reflections, thousands of reflections will not bind you, but if you think they are real and you forget yourself, that alone will bind. Marvellous illustration, every illustration of Sri Ramakrishna. So I brought in that symbolic story to illustrate what is going on. All this Jagrad Avastha is one reflection. Swapna Avastha is another reflection and Sushupti Avastha is another reflection and we identify with each reflection and for the time being forget about the other reflections and we identify with that reflection and say this alone is real, forgetting that you who is able to move from one mirror to another mirror, you are the reality. A mirror is only supposed to give you reflection and a reflection, reflected image is meant only for your correction, not for admiring yourself. Even if you want to admire, you don't admire the reflection. You correct yourself by looking at the reflection and that is what a guru becomes a reflection. God becomes a reflection, but we will talk about gurus, saints. Every saint is a bright reflection, but if I want to look like that, I have to correct myself. Marvelous spiritual truth, psychological truth is hidden. How do I see the reflection? Not as it appears, but according to my mental idea. A most beautiful person looking at a mirror, you will have to excuse for my rambling, looks and says, oh, I don't look as beautiful as the other person. Completely ignorant, the other person is also, imagine, at the same time looking at her or his reflection and passing the same remark, see, that person is looking much more beautiful than me. So this person is comparing with the other person and that other person is the standard, how I should become. And the other person is comparing this person and says, I should be like this. This is what is called fashion in the modern world. Nobody knows what is fashion. Whatever some popular people, celebrities do, that is fashion. So if a celebrity divorces, that is fashion. If a celebrity eats drugs, that is fashion. If a celebrity commits suicide, that is fashion. And believe me, some people actually do that, a few people actually do that. Anyway, what I am talking about? We are talking about that this world, when it is looked upon as nothing but Brahman, it is Sat. When it is looked upon as non-Brahman, as many, as devoid of consciousness, as inert, as changing, as temporary, as dependent upon the experiencer, it is unreal. So it is neither real nor unreal. It is because even to see it as temporary depends upon my state of mind. When I enter into Sushupti, I don't see anything of the world at all. So these are the important points we have to understand. What is it that Upanishad wants to tell us? What is it that Gaudapadacharya and Shankaracharya want us to understand? This is what Sriram Krishna comes to avoid. A man wants to know what is the house made up of. So he goes on denying. He goes up to the roof. And then while going, until he reaches the roof, he goes on saying that this is not the roof, this is not the roof, this is not the roof. And once he goes to the roof, that means once he comes to know what is the real nature of the roof, and the whole house is made up of exactly the same material that is made up of the roof, and then he will understand everything is real. Everything is real as Brahman. Everything is unreal as Nama, Rupa, Prayojana. If we can understand this truth, we have advanced. We have not reached the goal. We have advanced. And only when we understand this, then this is called Viveka, then Vairagya has to come appropriately. And it is very important for us, one important point, even though it is not belonging to this particular topic, I have to bring it. Many people, very sincere, they say we have faith in God, but they say we have faith in scripture, because we say, how do you know about God? Through scripture. And what Guru says is confirming the scripture, proving that yes, I know, I realised God, but I also learnt about God only through my Guru, Guru Parampara. But my Guru is talking. Nothing, he will not go against the scripture. He is telling the real purport of the scripture. This is called Shraddha. Guru, Shastra Vakyeshu, Satya Buddhi Avadharana. But what is the problem with people like us? The same scripture tells us, from beginning to the end, that this Shraddha, you must forget God now, because what you are now, your body, your mind, your society, everything, your circumstances, your Sukha, Dukha, Jati, Ayu, Bhoga, everything is nothing but Karmaphala. Believe in the Karmaphala 100%. 100% belief in Karma Siddhanta is called Shraddha. And if we say, profess, we believe in God, but we don't believe in Karma Siddhanta, then claim that we have got Shraddha. This is called Shraddha. Burning, cremating God, scripture and myself, along with that. Shraddha means forget about God. Shraddha means remember always Karmaphala. So, if I do good, good will come to me in a thousandfold. If I do not, it will not come. If I misbehave, then the negative result will be there. Ishtam, Anishtam, Mishrancha, Trividham, Karmanaha Phalam, Bhagavad Gita we have seen. But these three do not exist for a Yogi. Why? Because he doesn't think he is the Karta. He doesn't think he is doing. He knows everything is done by God or shakali, tamari ichcha. So, this is the most important point. Shraddha in Karmaphala, if we have, then the Karma Siddhanta through the Veda tells us if I do good, it will come back to me thousandfold. If I don't do anything, nothing will happen, good or bad. And if I do something evil, adharma, then thousandfold it will come back, which is called hell, naraka, swarga, naraka. If I can believe in it, my life will be transformed. After all, what is spiritual progress? The effort to attain what we call more spiritual qualities. This is called Chitta Shuddhi. Purification means what? I get rid of negative qualities. I try to acquire positive spiritual qualities, which means how do I do that? By believing in Karma Siddhanta, by doing appropriate karma, and through karma, samskaras will come. Samskaras are called merely acquisition of these qualities. I slowly, through good karma, reduce bad samskaras, and as a result, my viveka becomes better and better. And this is how this profound truth, forget about God, forget about everything, remember only Karma Siddhanta. My life is karma. My body is karma. My mind is karma. What I did is what I am. What I am going to be depends upon what I do now. And then what should I do? Only do what is Dharma. And it consists of four things. Igna, Dana, Tapas, and Nityavarata. Nitya Karma. Nitya, Naimittika, Prayaschitta, Nishiddha, Upasana. Anyway, I wanted to just bring, so that the more our mind becomes pure, clear, the buddhi becomes clearer, and then understanding becomes better. The result of the understanding is when I understand this is poison, I don't need to give up. Automatically it will go. Thinking, saying that it is poison, but anyway it is very tasty poison. I forget the poison. I only remember the taste. The after effects I forget. And that is how we are all bound. So if I can slowly believe in the Karma Siddhanta, 100%, not claiming, but really performing in our day-to-day life, refraining from forbidden actions, and assiduously doing what is prescribed, not doing what is proscribed, and Nitya, Naimittika, Prayaschitta, Upasana, etc., slowly I become progressive in spiritual life. And then only, as my mind becomes purer, the same world will be reflected in that purified mind, and this world will not appear as it is appearing to us now. It will appear more and more in its realistic nature, which is nothing but pure Brahman. I see only Sat, Chit and Ananda, and ultimately that becomes the only vision. That is the real, real spiritual practice. That is what Shankaracharya, Gaudapadacharya, and the Upanishads want us to tell. So it is not to say you have to kill the world, kill the idea of the world. The world is nothing but Brahman. That is how we will have to understand. So, Naantavaprajnam, Nabhahiprajnam, Navahitaprajnam, it is not waking state, it is not sleeping state, it is not sleeping state. Swamiji, you have muted yourself. How did I mute? I never muted myself. Okay. Now, all right. So, it is not that the world has to be destroyed, but my idea of the world has to be converted, changed. That is the most important point we will have to understand, and then the rest becomes very easy. So, I was talking about Mithyatva of the world. Definition of Mithya is it is neither Sat nor Asat. That is what I was trying to explain. When my view is right, it is Sat, which is Brahman. The whole world is nothing but Brahman. It is Advaitam. Nothing else exists except in this world. And if my view is wrong view, I am real, you are real, everything is real, that is called Advaitam. That is a wrong view. It is called Asat. Then I don't see Brahman. I see only individual things, and that is what the lesson is. If we can remember these things, then everything will be absolutely fine. So, Gaudapada was explaining in our last class what we were telling. I am only repeating what he was explaining. He was trying to explain from the earlier Karikas also. The Karika number 15. Anyatha grihanaha svapno nidra tattvam ajanataha viparyase tayokshene turiyam padamasnute This is the 15th Karika in the explanation of the 7th mantra. Anyatha grihanaha svapnaha What is the definition of svapna? Svapna means dream. What is the dream? It is a technical word. Not knowing what I am, but thinking I am somebody else. I am thinking I am somebody else, which involves I don't know who I am, and in addition, I am thinking I am somebody else. Both phenomena, not knowing oneself, not knowing oneself to somebody else. The name of that is called svapna, dream. And what is nidra? Nidra means sleep. We are not talking about sushupti avastha. But the essence of the sushupti avastha is I don't suffer from the second effect. That is, I take myself to be somebody other than Brahman. No, but I don't know that I am Brahman. Only one. That's why so much of bliss. When these two, tayohakshine, that is this, both, I do not know who I am, and I think I am somebody else, when slowly, through the practice of karma yoga, this is called chitta shuddhi, these two become weaker and weaker, viparyasa, means they are becoming thinner and thinner, lesser and lesser, through the practice of karma yoga. Remember, all spiritual practice is nothing but karma yoga only. Then turiyam padmashmuti. A state will come when both these will disappear. What remains? Turiyam. That is, I am Brahman. I don't think I am somebody else. Then I know what I am. That is called turiyam. That is called Brahman. That is called Atma. Ashnuti means what? Attains. Attains means what? Although Brahman is in Brahmaloka, and I have to travel there, that's not the correct word, my wrong notion, right now, when that wrong notion disappears, then I know who I am. Or to put it in another way, there is this, we are suffering, a jiva is ahamkara. When that kara is removed, kara means jagrat, swapna, sushupti, it means swapna and nidra, it means not knowing what one is and thinking somebody else. When both these are not there, that kara will automatically disappear. What remains is aham. Aham is another name for Brahman, turiyam, etc. So this is what in the Karika 15th he wants to say. This is a repetition of what we discussed earlier in 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th. And 16th verse, slightly a new idea has come. What is the idea? First I will propose to you, to give you a brief analysis. What is the idea? Alright. Why do I forget who I am? And why do I think I am somebody else? Because of maya. Remember, maya has got two powers. First power of maya is that it covers everything, avarana shakti. Second power of maya is it doesn't remain there. It projects something else. So not knowing oneself and making us believe we are somebody else, 100%. And that is called these two powers. And those two powers work when in jagrat and swapna. So that is why jagrat avastha is also called nidra avastha, swapna avastha. Swapna avastha is also called swapna avastha and nidra avastha. Whereas sushupti avastha is called only nidra. The jiva doesn't know who he is, but he doesn't think because there is no waking state. I am the body. That is not there. I am the mind. That is not there. When both these disappear, then sort of advaita will be there. That is why so much of joy is there. So the question is when did this maya start working? Two, three questions will follow. Where is this maya located? Is it in brahman? Because if it is not in brahman, creation means maya. Maya is another name for creation. Before creation, if there were to be no maya, then there would be no creation. So the answer is we don't know. Simply we don't know. Is it after the creation? No. Because creation itself is the effect of maya. Creation means these two powers avarna shakti and vikshepa shakti. So it is a big problem in advaita vedanta school and Ramanujacharya he has raised in his Sri Bhashyam seven marvellous objections to this idea of this what we call adhyasa, superimposition. Maya means superimposition. You understand superimposition when I say a snake instead of seeing the rope, this superimposes the idea of snake on the fact of rope or I superimpose silver on a silver-like shining shell on the seashore. So many examples are there. These are more than enough for us. So this is called adhyasa, superimposition. How can there be superimposition? And Ramanuja is absolutely right. Now what has Sri Ramakrishna got to say about it? He has answers for everything. Swami Vivekananda has answers for everything. What is the answer Sri Ramakrishna gives? He says so long as you think you are a jiva, you should not say this world is unreal. Like Advaitin who goes on harping on that again and again, this is mithya, this is mithya, this is mithya, this is superimposition. So if it is mithya, it doesn't exist. If it doesn't exist, you don't exist. I am putting it in a way. If you don't exist, then I also don't exist. If you and I do not exist, who is an Advaitin? How do you argue with me? You are imputing to me, you are a dullard, you are a Dvaitin, you are a Visishta Dvaitin or Dvaitin and you are completely wrong. I will prove to you through logic that you are wrong. All these implications will follow. I hope I am making some sense. This 16th karika is bringing up that subject and so-called answer, it is not real answer actually, it is a repetition of the same circle of mistakes the Advaitin is going through. The question that comes, when did this Maya start? Because if I know at a particular point of time it started, before that it was not there. No. For that, this Advaitin's so-called answer, why I am repeating all these introductions? Because I want to bring Sri Ramakrishna's teaching. I will come to that. When the jiva or the individual is sleeping, that is, sleeping here means not Sushupti. Jagratavastha also we suffer from sleeping. What is sleeping? Nidra. What is Nidra? Not knowing who one is. That is called Nidra. Under the influence of what? Beginningless Maya. Anadi Maya. When this jiva is awakened, that means what? He goes beyond the Nidra, beyond Swapna. First he goes beyond Swapna, then he goes beyond Nidra. Then he goes beyond them. Then simultaneously he realises, I am Brahman, I am Toriyam, I am Advaitam, I am beginningless, I am dreamless. They happen simultaneously. When you bring light, the disappearance of the snake and the revelation of the rope, they don't take one after the other. They happen simultaneously. Shankaracharya gives a very complicated example. It is like cutting a piece of wood. So when you cut a piece of wood, so cutting and their separation, are they two separate acts? First you cut, then they become separated or at the same moment you cut, they become separated. It is a little bit odd type of example, but anyway that was the example he gave earlier in this very Mandukya Upanishad explanation. So when light is brought up, the phenomena of mistake disappears. In fact, the word mistake is a very beautiful word. So missing the fact and taking it as another is called mistake. So when light is brought, simultaneously the snake also disappears. That is another idea Gaudapada is bringing next. Very interesting fact. We have already discussed it, part of it. What is this? Gaudapada is trying to tell. When the light is brought up, does the snake really disappear? I will come to that point. Anyway, when did this Maya start? Anadi. But we are forgetting what is beginningless can never come to an end. What comes to an end cannot be beginningless. This is an accepted fact. But anyway, we have to accept this Karika and this is what some of the Acharyas, Advaita Acharyas think. So when did this person become Jeeva? When this person was overcome by this Sukti, Nidra and Swapna. When? Beginningless time. You can't find out when you forgot yourself and you started thinking you are somebody else and that is why it is called Maya. Maya means Ya Ma. That which never existed is called Maya. When this Jeeva light is brought through the Guru, through the scripture, by the grace of God, then what does he realize? Simultaneously, his Swapna will break. His Nidra will break. He thinks that I am never born. If I am not born, I don't have body-mind. If I don't have body-mind, I don't go through this waking dream and dreamless and I will know that I am Advaitam. There is no world. Remember, body-mind is the world. Body-mind means three states of experience. Advaitam. Brahman alone exists. He understands. Tadabudhyate. Simultaneously. Ajam means unborn. Unborn means eternal. Anidram. That means the phenomena of not knowing oneself. Nidra. Anidra. No, I am ever awake to the fact I am Brahman. Swapna. Swapna means thinking I am somebody else. I am a man. I am a woman. I am a mosquito, etc. That doesn't happen because I know who I am. And I am the only one. There is no second. Tadabudhyate. How does he get awakened? Through the grace of the God, through the grace of the world. Now, Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful explanation is so long as you are aware, you are the body, and that is what Kalikala manush anna gata prana, that is, suffers from this too, not knowing what he is and thinking he is somebody else, she is somebody else. He means Jeeva, not man or woman. Then he says, you cannot deny the existence of the world. That is why behave as if everything is real but believe that ultimately this long dream is going to be broken up. How? I believe by having shraddha in the gurus and scriptural words. And what does it mean? It means they asked me to do these things. They asked me not to do these things. And every day I have to do. And that is what Sri Ramakrishna's four commandments are. Cultivate holy company. Now and then go into solitude. Always discriminate. Anything can happen to anybody at any time, at any place, in any way. And live in this world like a maid servant, functioning, fully functioning, devoutedly functioning, but in her mind of mind she knows, mano chalo nijani ketane, I have my own home, this is not my home. And if we do not put Sri Ramakrishna's teachings into practice, even after saying that I am the body-mind, this illusion continues for a long time. But when we wake up, then all dvaita will completely disappear. Until that time we must have tremendous faith in the karma siddhanta. My past is now my present. My present will be my future. This is called karma siddhanta. That's why I brought up that subject and reminding again and again. So don't say I believe in God. Don't say I do japa dhyana. It has some effect. The most important is karma siddhanta. I must do yagna, dana, tapas, and the fourth one, most important, be like a maid servant even after doing all these things. Or I will put it this way, cultivate satsanga now and then. Go and undisturbedly intensify your remembrance of the nature of the world and nature of God. And continuously discriminate at other times. And continuously practice this karma yoga represented by the attitude of the maid servant. That is called having faith in the karma siddhanta. If we don't practice that one, who will be the losers? You know the answer. We move on to the karika number 17. I will tell you about this. What is the idea? Gaudapadacharya, Shankaracharya, every Advaitin wants to bring. But I will give you a small example to make this point easier to understand. You are seeing in semi-darkness and you think it is a snake and you are frightened and you are shouting and then somebody brings the light and then you realize immediately that it is not a snake. It is a rope all the time. Rope is there all the time. Snake is there. It has a beginning with semi-darkness. It has an end when light is brought. But what is the important, most subtle point? Where did the snake disappear? I brought light. Therefore, as soon as light is brought, the snake got frightened and it disappeared. It cannot bear the light. That is the remedy for making the snake disappear. This is a completely wrongest type of view anybody can entertain. If there were to be a real snake and then when light is brought, it simply ran away, frightened of the light, then you can say light has an effect of frightening the snake. Anyway, the snake has disappeared. There is no danger now. That is not the point. If there were to be a snake, it is possible to make it disappear. But if you are only thinking there is a snake, then what disappears is not the snake, but the idea in your mind that it is a snake. That is the point. There is a real object, real world, and if I do this, it will disappear. That is a wrong idea. That there is a world is merely an idea in my mind and when light of knowledge is brought in, then the delusion that there is something really existing, that negative thought which was positive earlier now becomes negated. It is that which is only an imagination. So one imagination destroys another imagination. The imagination of Turiya destroys the imagination of the world. This is a most important point, a very subtle point, because the moment you read this Karika, oh, there is a world, and I do something, Chuchu Mantra, and the world will disappear because there is a psychological and existential truth. What is the truth? If there is something really existing, you can never get rid of it because existence cannot be made non-existence. If the world is existing, if it is a fact that the world is in existence, real world, you cannot remove it by any means because reality cannot be negated. But if you are imagining there is something, then it is possible that that imaginary wrong idea will be destroyed because it is only imagination, it is not real. Anything unreal will be destroyed sooner or later. Anything real can never be destroyed. I hope you get it. Reality cannot be destroyed. Unreality need not be destroyed because in the course of time it will get destroyed. If you understand this idea, I will just read out, give the meaning, then we will go to the questions and answers. What does Gaudapada want to say? If the world is real, really existing, means existing. If this world, really existing, by some means you can negate it, you can throw it out. If there is a real snake, you can kill it, you can drive it out, you can do something about it. I will continue this first line. Suppose there is a snake and the snake is real and you kill it, only temporarily your fear is gone because if one snake is real, a billion other snakes are also real. So you might be succeeding in killing this one snake, but you cannot avoid all the snakes. Some snake or other will come and bite you and you will be finished. But you cannot be finished also if you are real. No snake can finish you if you are real. So this is the point we will discuss next. Then what is this? It is mere imagination. Maya means what? Mere a thought in your mind. What? This is reality. What is the reality? I and the world. Subject and object. Experiencer and experiencer. This is only yavaharika point of view, pratibhasika point of view, paramarthika reality point of view. Everything is advaita means any number of reflections are only reflections of that one reality which is being reflected because of so many mirrors. Marvellous point. We will talk about it in our next class. Om Jananem Sharadam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayos Ritva Pranamami Mohor Moho May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Ramakrishna.