Mandukya Karika Lecture 109 on 29-June-2023

Full Transcript

We will continue the third chapter of the Mandukya Upanishad, Mandukya Karikas. We were in the third chapter called Advaita Prakarana in the 29th Karika or verse in our last class. What is Gaudapada telling? That when we dream we are dividing, that is our mind goes to dream. The mind is only one but that one mind, single mind, divides itself into first of all into two. What are the two? The subject I and what is the other one? Object. And the objects can be almost infinite. Just like in the waking state we see wherever I go whatever be my age I am the subject. And even other people become objects of my experience. But we are unable to understand this fact in the waking state. For that Gaudapada is giving this marvellous example. Why this example or analogy of dream is so much given in the Advaita Vedanta system? Because that is the clue to understand, to open the secrets of understanding the waking state. Just as upon waking up we know that the entire dream world along with the dream me. How somebody had slapped me, somebody had presented me with great gifts. Everything is negated, falsified. Experience was there but it was a false experience. It was why because if we are still experiencing it would have been present and then we don't see any difference between the waking experience and the dream experience. We react exactly the same way not knowing whether we are in the waking state or dream state. Somebody praises our blood pleasure goes up. Somebody criticizes our blood pressure goes up. The difference is pleasure and pressure. Same thing that we do. And important thing is how we trained our mind in the waking state we will be reacting exactly in the same way in the dream state also. Now in the dream state that one mind of the waker it creates, divides itself into dvaya, to subject and object and the objects can be infinite as I said. So how does it create? Mind has a power and that power is called maya shakti. When we use this word maya with regard to Ishwara that is the universal power. But this dreaming power, nidra shakti, that is what we use. Each individual has this power. How can we have the power? Because we are the manifestations of Ishwara. If Ishwara is a combination of both prakruti and purusha we are also a combination. That is we means each jeeva is a combination of chidabhasa plus body and mind. The whole world is nothing but that. So tatha, exactly in the same way, jagrat, in the state of jagrat also dvayabhasam, our one mind divides the whole, creates in fact by imagination that I am the subject and the entire rest of it is object. There are only two things, I and everything else. And how spandate mayaya manaha. This is a common word both in the first half and the second half also. As in dream the mind acts through maya presenting the appearance of duality. So also in the waking state the mind acts through maya presenting the appearance of duality. There is absolutely no difference. Just as in the dream an agitated active mind creates a delusory dream world. And the dreamer identifying himself with it takes it to be absolutely real and gains experience there under. So too exactly in the same way in the waking state also the waker's mind being agitated, this is what is called it breaks into waves, Chitta vriti. Projects itself into a world of delusory plurality. Why do we call delusory plurality? Because the world is what we imagine to be. I will come to that point. And he gains therein his experience of a world seemingly real for him for the time being. But in the essence both dream experience and waking experience first of all they are created by me and they are interpreted by me and the reaction also follows by me only. So the mind seems to be spinning duality in the waking state just as it does the same thing in the dream state. When the mind perceives the dream objects the mind takes them to be absolutely real with actual origination. Suppose you are dreaming, you are seeing a tree and you don't say I am imagining that tree. In fact when we come to know we are imagining. There is no origination, there is no such a tree, it is not a reality. Then we imagine because we see it and because we imagine we react to it. And this is a marvellous idea which I will take up immediately.

So the question by Gaudapada is if we, such small Jeevas like ourselves, can create a dream world seemingly easily, why cannot Brahman create a waking world seemingly? What does it mean? It means when we wake up from our dream world, so consisting of myriads of things, when we wake up we find that it is one mind created the whole lot. Similarly when we wake up from this what Gaudapada calls the waking state, the waking state as the dream state. Then when we wake up from it, that means when we get out of body-mind complex by doing neti neti etc. Then what happens? Then two things happen. We know this is all imagination, there is no reality. Second, there are not many Jeevas creating each one his own waking state and his own dream state. There is only one reality, supreme reality that is Advitiya, one without a second. Ekaha, Ajaha, Nityaha, Shashvataha, Avyayaha, Katirubhartha, Prabhusakshi, Nivasaha, Sharanam, Suhru. Only one is there. So this whole waking state is nothing but a dream of the divine. But that truth called Brahman, called Sathyam can never be experienced because I am the Sathyam. I am never an object of experience. So what is Gaudapada trying to tell? I am not an object. I am never an object. Then what am I? Our immediate conclusion will be I am a subject. I am not an object therefore I must be subject. It is like saying I am a teacher without students. I am a doctor without patients. The moment students disappear or desert us, my status of teacher will not be there. If there are no objects, who is going to be subject? There would be no subject at all. I am neither the subject nor the object. And when there is no subject or object there would be no duality. When there is no duality that state is called my real state, Aham Brahmasmi. Now a question arises here. What is that question? From descriptive point of view, linguistic point of view, this person we are talking about Jeevanmukta. Say for example, say Sri Ramakrishna. He has become one with Brahman. He is experiencing Brahman. That is a false statement because of the limitations of linguistic poverty. Why is it? Because for experience there must be duality. Subject, object. Somebody to experience, something to experience and some instruments through which one can experience. This is called Triputi. Three, the experiencer, the experienced and also the instrument for experiencing. So Pramata, Prameya, Prama or Pramana then only it creates true knowledge. But when there is no second, there is no object because there is no subject. So the question of experiencing doesn't arise and yet we have to use some word. So that is why you say we are enjoying. That is also a false word. Why? Because I am there, mango is there and I am enjoying a mango. When in deep sleep, do you enjoy a mango? No. Then what experience you are having? You are yourself. If we understand that there are two types of experiences. Subject, object experience which is common to waking dream states but that becoming one and remaining as one, that is another type of, we are using the word remember, experience but it is a kind of experience. It has become one and who is experiencing whom? None. That is what we need to understand it. When we wake up to that truth then my bondage will break. That is being explained here in the next 30th Karika verse.

अद्वयं च द्वयाभासं मनः स्वप्ने न संशयः ।

अद्वयं च द्वयाभासं तथा जाग्रन्न संशयः ॥ ३० ॥

advayaṃ ca dvayābhāsaṃ manaḥ svapne na saṃśayaḥ |

advayaṃ ca dvayābhāsaṃ tathā jāgranna saṃśayaḥ || 30 ||

So it is almost repetition of the same idea that was there in the 29th Karika. There is no doubt that the mind which is non-dual appears as dual in dream in like manner undoubtedly exactly same way. That which is non-dual appears as dual in the waking state also. This is a very beautiful expression. Before we go to dream our mind is one, one waker, one mind and that goes and creates the entire dream world. The same thing is to be applied to waking state also. What does it mean? That there is one mind before the creation of the universe and that mind is manifesting itself. A very important point here, I have repeated it umpteen number of times. Here creation doesn't mean like a potter taking some clay or mud creates a pot. It is like clay appearing in various names and forms. That is Brahman himself is appearing with names and forms just as our mind. It says it creates. So far we are discussing it creates the dream. But creation means it divides itself as it were, as if it is reflecting itself as it were, into myriad forms which we call Namas and Rupas and Gunas. So the 30th Karika is telling Advaya Ancha that is one mind. Here Advaya don't apply to Brahman in this example of dream. The mind, the waker's mind is Advaya, means one mind. Dvayavasam, divides itself into two. How? Subject and object as we discussed in the 29th. Where? Swapne. So this Advaya Ancha Manaha is one mind which is Advaya. Dvayavasam, as it were is creating subject-object division. Where? Swapne, in the dream. Na samshayaha, there is no doubt because our practical experience. I always like to illustrate. It's sometimes funny examples. So you are dreaming and you have two neighbours. And in your dream the right-sided neighbour who was very friendly earlier, he comes and then steals something from your garden and then he runs away and you are furious. But the other person in the left-hand side he has plenty of mango trees. He brings very special type of golden mangoes which cost one lakh of rupees and presents to you. So you are reacting purely negatively in one and then purely positively in the other. How good this person is! And then you wake up and then will you go to the neighbour who is trying to rob? You will not. Similarly will you go and praise? No, you will not do. Why? Because you know the whole event is imaginary. So who was your neighbour? Both the neighbours, yourself only. This is the idea we have to understand. This we can easily understand when we wake up from the dream state. But in the waking state we divide people into good and evil, positive and negative, helpful and harmful, etc. But that is because we don't understand that this so-called waking state is also as good as dream state. And why is it so? Because you cannot rely upon anything that changes. Everything is changing. Neighbour is changing. Everybody is changing. Events are changing. Friendly countries become inimical countries. In fact, India and Pakistan if you take, there was no Pakistan, there was no Bangladesh. It was one undivided India. Then whatever be the reason it has been divided into some pieces and as soon as pieces come out, peace will be destroyed and that is what is happening now.

So until we wake up from this so-called dream, two things happen. First of all, we think everything is real. I have not created anything in this world and it is created by God or neighbour. For example, he plants a mango seed and he looks after it. He created the mango. He constructed a house. He created the house and he created everything or he is destroying everything. Similarly, I also do the same things. So we don't understand that the whole thing is, first of all, it is not a creation. It is just imagination and that is why some of the teachings of Bhagavad Gita or Upanishads are hard to understand. The Bhagavad Gita is nothing but Upanishad. He says that the person who has this kind of knowledge, Brahma Jnanam, that is only I am existing. Nothing else is existing. Sa iman lokan hatva, even if he kills all the three worlds, he will not incur any sin. In fact, he cannot kill. There is no killer. There is no killed. Ya enam vetti hamtaram yas chenam manyate hatam ubhav tavana vijanito nayam hante nahanyate This Atman cannot kill. In your dream, yes, you can kill. In the cinema, you can kill. In drama, you can kill. What will happen? Nothing happens. The killer and the killed. Funny thing is sometimes the same person will be acting in the dual role. The killer and the killed, both are the same. Imagine the Atman like that. Then the acting, it mesmerizes everybody, shocks everybody. This person is a cruel fellow. He killed the other person. But when he comes out in his dress, you understand, the killer is the same, the killed also is the same. And as I mentioned many times, once a drama is going on and a person was killed and the whole scene was so realistic, the whole audience burst into encore. Repeat it once more. And immediately the curtain fell down and both fellows they stood there for a few seconds and the curtain again opened and second time he was killed. So beautifully acted. After that a reward has to be given. Perhaps the fellow who was killed, he gets a reward for being killed. That all can happen in drama because it is imagination. So also Brahman's imagination. He kills, he is the creator, he is the maintainer, sustainer and he is also the destroyer. Shrishti sthiti vinashanam, shakti bhute sanatani. Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara. Are they really killing? Otherwise they will be the greatest murderers in the world. No. Anything that is not real, you cannot apply the word. That's something which seems to happen in reality. Is it true or is it just spinning some cobwebs because we have time? Because every realized soul without exception repeats the same teaching that God alone is real, everything else is unreal. Jagrat avastha is unreal. Swapna avastha is unreal. Sushupti avastha is also unreal. Why is it unreal? Because it is changing. So this is the logical conclusion and what is the philosophical explanation? That all the three states that we are experiencing are the projections of the mind. Just as in the dream every object perceived is nothing but the perceiver's own mind. But we understand that fact only upon waking up. So also in the waking state the world outside is nothing but one's own mind. When we are in the waking state, jagrat avastha, we realize that the non-dual one mind itself manifests into its various illusory objects of the dream world. So too if we are awakened from this so-called jagrat avastha, we also will realize that the pluralistic world perceived is nothing other than the waker's own mind, agitated by its own inner-third mind. That is called realization, waking up. That is called waking up. That is why uttishthata, jagrata, praapyavara, nibodhata. Then we understand the whole thing is nothing but a leela. At that time what happens? We realize it as a leela. Srishti is leela, sthiti is leela, samhara is also leela. But this realization that there is only one Brahman and nothing else can come only when we are fully awakened from the dream of the world into the realm of pure knowledge. And what is the condition to wake up? That we must consider everything as what is called unreal. Dream means unreal, waking also is unreal. And when I am experiencing something, how can I say it is unreal? Because there is a definition. That definition is very very important. What is the definition of satyam? Trikala abadhitam satyam. That which never changes, ever is. It is that which is beyond time. Trikala bhoota vartamana bhavishyat kala. Trikala teetam. That is in the three times that which never changes, that is called satyam. We have to understand. Then what is asatyam? The opposite. What is the opposite? Anything that changes, time is change, change is time. Our bodies are growing up, changing. Our minds are also changing. So body is unreal, mind is also unreal. Everything that we experience is unreal. What is real? The being who is without changing, witnessing this changing aspect of our personality called Sakshi, he alone is real. So that attitude we have to develop. Let it happen.

To aid us in that attitude, our Vedantic systems, they have devised some practical means. What are those practical means? That whatever happens, happy or unhappy, is possible only by witnessing it. And how do we do that? To make us practice, say nobody can give you happiness. Nobody can give you unhappiness. Nothing can give you happiness. Nothing can give you unhappiness unless you deserve it. And how do we deserve it? By our Prarabdha Karma, Punya Karma. If we do Punya Karma, everything that is positive will come to us. Therefore this is a profound Karma Siddhanta. Very few of us pay real attention to it. So whatever is happening to me, whatever is happening to you, whatever is happening to anybody in this world. For example, this Russia and Ukraine war is going on. Is it because of the Karma phala of Russia and Ukraine? Yes. If Ukraine is suffering, it deserves it. If Russia is suffering, that also deserves it. And then it is true. One thing is very true that there is no winner in a war. Even because of some slight edge, a person may say I have become the conqueror. But how much suffering, how much struggle, day and night people cannot sleep. How many soldiers will be killed in between? So many things can happen. And all that is because of our wrong type of movie. But what is the point? The point is those who don't deserve any negative result, they will never get. Even if a cannon is facing a person who cannot be killed because of his Prarabdha. The cannon will fly here and there and kill somebody else, sometimes even the fellow who is firing. But it can never do any harm to a person until the time comes. Then next question will be what is the role of that perpetrator? What is the role? He is an instrument. Some people are instruments for bringing us happiness. Some people are bringing us suffering. Then they are only instruments. Will they be punished or rewarded? Yes, they will be punished or rewarded. Not because they are doing good or evil to us. Because they attribute I am giving happiness, I am making these people suffer. That ahankara, immediately the result will come. Sri Ramakrishna illustrates it beautifully. A very beautiful story. I will just briefly remind you. The Brahmana who killed a cow and he was a little bit of Vedantist. He said I did not kill. My hands have killed. Hands are ruled by Indra. So the Papa should go to Indra. And then Indra came down and he was praising highly and very skilfully. This fellow forgot totally. I did this, I did that. And slowly Indra led him to the dead cow. And now all the time this Brahmana was telling I did this, I did that. But when he saw he had no words to say that Indra did it. So the Papa had come. Graphically Sri Ramakrishna explains. So this we have to apply. If somebody is the cause of our happiness or unhappiness. But that is he is not the cause. He is an instrument. And if he realizes I am an instrument then he will progress in life. If he thinks I am the cause then he will suffer for that as a consequence. Ahankara brings the consequence, good or bad, whatever it is. So what is good for the driving it that my son you are really God. You are that Ekameva Advitiyam Brahman. But you have forgotten completely identifying when you are in dream. Identify with the dream and suffer. When you are in the waking state identify with the waking state and suffer. And when you are in the dreamless sleeping state you suffer. What are you talking about? Is there suffering in the sleeping state? No. Sleeping state itself is no suffering. But the suffering comes when we wake up again. And then we have to face all the tigers and wolves and hyenas etc. So that is the way because it is also changing. Waking is changing. Dream is changing. Sleep state also is changing. Is there any changeless state? Yes. The very fact that I am able to say these are changing facts indicates that there is a changeless factor. That is called Atman, Brahman and reaching that, identifying ourselves with that. That should be the aim. In simple Pauranic language it is called the Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. This is the meaning.

And Gaudapada is continuing here in the 31st Karika.

मनोदृश्यमिदं द्वैतं यत्किंचित्सचराचरम् ।

मनसो ह्यमनीभावे द्वैतं नैवोपलभ्यते ॥ ३१ ॥

manodṛśyamidaṃ dvaitaṃ yatkiṃcitsacarācaram |

manaso hyamanībhāve dvaitaṃ naivopalabhyate || 31 ||

Whatever we discussed so far is being put in very beautiful Sanskrit language. Dvaitam, this is duality. What is that duality? Whatever we see, living and non-living, that means the whole world. Remember. So it is all nothing but Manodrushyam. It is all thoughts, vrittis in the mind. How do we know? Manasahi Amanibhavi, a beautiful word is there. I don't know whether it is Gaudapada's creation. Amanibhava. What is Amanibhava? Manobhava is one expression. Its opposite is Amanibhava. Mind having imaginations of the mind and mind bereft of imaginations. That is called Amanibhava. Dvaitam na upalabhyate. This experience of duality is never possible when the mind stops functioning. How? We will discuss about this. This duality of all things and beings is a projection of the mind. But on the cessation of the mind, duality is not at all perceived. Let us expand it a bit slightly. When we are in the waking state, everything that we see is nothing but a thought in the mind, a vritti. There is a tree, there is a dog, there is a neighbour, there is a wife, there is a husband, there are parents. These are all nothing but thoughts. When we are in the dream, same thing happens. But when we go into sleeping state, temporarily at least, there is no mind. There is Amanibhava. There is what you call no mind is there. Because there is no mind, the entire world has disappeared. Because the mind has disappeared, the dualities disappeared. And then I am at so much of peace. Peace that passes all understanding. Let us discuss. In this stanza Gaudapada is telling us to give to our perceived world that it's all this that we are experiencing is what? An apparent perception of the mind. If there is mind, world is there. If the mind is not there, world is not there. What is mind? Thoughts. What is the world? It's but a perception of the mind. He points out that in the absence of mind, this pluralistic world totally fades away from our experience. How? I just now told you in the deep sleep state, there is no mind. I mean temporarily it is absent. Therefore, temporarily the whole world disappears. Then the whole world is nothing but duality a perception of the mind. When there is no mind, there is no world. When there is world, there is mind. Mind and world, they go together. So, Gaudapada is pointing out in the absence of the mind, the pluralistic world totally fades away. Totally. Not even a remembrance. Oh, what happened to that world I have seen yesterday, day before yesterday? What happened to that dream? Everything fades away. We can even remember dreams. We can, of course, remember things that happen in the waking state. But in sleep, what dreams do we remember? What experiences of the waking state do we remember? Nothing. And that's why so much of peace is there. So, what is the world? Nothing but Chittavritti. Gaudapada pointed out in the absence of the mind the entire world will fade away. Mana means mind. Amana means non-mind. That is, a mind is a mind when there are thoughts. And the same mind is called non-mind when there are no thoughts. The whole yoga philosophy is that only. Now, this non-mindedness is called Brahman. Brahma Sakshatkar. When there is no mind, there is no Jeeva. There is no Jeevatma or Paramatma. Only Atma is there. Because the division between Jeeva and Para, small and big, finite and infinite, that is all creation of the mind. Both disappear. What remains? Don't say nothing remains. Don't say Shunya remains. Nothing remains. That is, Atma remains. That is why Patanjali has grasped this point long back, thousands of years back. What does he say? Yogaha Chittavritti Nirodaha. Yoga is quelling of all the thoughts, vrittis of the mind. And what happens? Drishtaswaroope avasthanam. Then he remains in his own true nature. So the goal of yoga is to reach the sublimation of the mind. What is it? To know that everything is dependent upon, the whole world is dependent, all the three states are dependent upon the mind. No mind, no three states. Mind, all the states. And every state, I told you, produces only dukkha, including the sleeping state. Not at the time, it is like when you are eating Rasagulla, there is no dukkha. But soon afterwards, as soon as Rasagulla is over, either you are longing for more or you are suffering from an upset stomach. Both are Karanas of dukkha only. Sri Ramakrishna, that's why, profound meaning is there in every utterance of him. He says pure intellect, pure mind, pure Atman are one and the same. That is to say, when there is no mind, that is called pure mind. When there is no thought, that is called pure mind. Why do we say pure mind? You are using the word mind, you are saying it is pure. Is it not contradictory? No. Why? Because pure mind means it only reflects. tata drishta swaroope I am the Atman, that is the only thought. Either that is called Brahmakara Urutti or it is called Savikalpa Samadhi or after that Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Many people do not understand and they criticise Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Nirvikalpa Samadhi means just being I am Brahman, that's all. Why? Because there is no mind, that is the problem.

So with this 30th Karika, Gaudapada wants to prove what is the essence? The world is unreal. It is unreal because it is changing. And if we can remove somehow the thoughts from our mind, the influence of experiences upon our mind. And this is the modern psychologists also, they call it CBT, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. What do they say? Whatever happens, that is not in our control. But how we can react? We react habitually to that event, that is in our hands. If we can make it better, positive and even spiritual. Because if somebody has taken away from us, we can become very spiritual. And then that alone, that experience, how we interpret it. Even if somebody gives us something, we can suffer a lot. You know how? In Telugu there is a Samhita saying that one beggar had gone to a house and the lady, very kind hearted lady, came out with a big measuring vessel and she filled it up with rice and poured into the Jhuli, bag of the beggar. But the beggar was very angry. He says, why are you treating me like that? There is a hole in that vessel. Nothing is falling out of it. But he cannot tolerate it. What am I talking about? Somebody gives us also, we can become very angry. If nobody gives us, we won't be angry because we know what we are expecting. But somebody gives us and then immediately we get angry. Why? You could have given me more. That is how we suffer. Because our expectations are too much.

Anyway, what are we talking about here? That mind is the root cause of the problems. I will come to that also later on. In this 30th Karika, the main discussion that the world, Srishti is not factual, but it is experienced, we have to understand that way. Neither the Jeeva nor the world has ever been created. This is, remember, Advaitic view. This is also called very famously, Ajati Vada. Jati means creation. Ajati means no creation. Then no creation of the world, no creation of Jeeva, no creation of Chara or Achara. So now that is fine, but is there any way to reach it? Yes, that is called Sadhana. So what is the cause of Samsara? The cause of Samsara is the mind and if we can control the mind, first remove all the negative thoughts, that is the first step. Then acquire all positive thoughts, that is the second step. And third step, last step is get out of even these good thoughts. These are the two ways. This is what Gaudapada earlier called Amani Bhava. Amani Bhava, that is negate the mind totally. But we cannot simply sit here now and then do it. First let us be positive. After that let us fill the mind with Shubhavasana. Remove Ashubhavasana. Then fill it with Shubhavasana. What we call all the characteristics, Lakshanas, Aupanishada, Dharmas. And then go beyond all of them. So let us not blame anybody for our state because the famous Karma Siddhanta, we are the root cause of our own problem. But there is a way out. What is that way out? Unless we learn to control the mind, we can never solve the problem of Samsara. And there are many Upanishads and some of them are very small. And one of them is called Brahma Vidya Upanishad. This is where the famous quotation comes. Manohit vividham prauktam shuddham cha shuddham eva cha. Mind is divided into two categories, the pure and the impure. What is impurity? Ashuddham kama sankalpam. The mind which is filled with worldly thoughts, lust, anger, greed, etc. That is called impure mind. Shuddham kama vivarjitam. The mind which is filled with pure thoughts, thoughts of God. That is called shuddham. And then the famous oft quoted shlokanam, Manayeva manushyanaam karanam bandamokshayoh. Mind alone is responsible both for the bondage and liberation. Bandhaya vishayasaktam. The mind which is completely attached to all the objects of sense organs will create bondage. Muktiyai nirvishayam smrutam. When they say mind, if it is completely free from all the desires, that alone is reality. So what happens? I was never bound. This is Advaitic view. I was never bound, I thought I was bound. And after I do sadhana, then I develop a thought. Through sadhana I will become free. And when sadhana is complete, then we say I am free. So saying I am bound is also thought of, property of the mind. And saying I am free also property of the mind. So we give an illustration. A man in his own bed went to sleep. Had dreamt that the police came and bound him. He was shouting and like Indian police they will not listen to him. Nobody is listening to him. So he was banging his head all over the wall. Nobody is going to hear him. Then he was making peculiar noises. So his wife had to take immediate action. So she pulled her fist and gave a small blow. I think nails also were there. And immediately he woke up. Then he realized I was in jail was also creation of my mind. And I woke up. He should never say openly that is my mind did it. My wife had released me from the bondage. Guru has released me from the bondage, Sri Ramakrishna, Mind alone is the root cause of all problems. Pure mind and pure Atma are one and the same. So Krishna says control the mind by the mind. And he gives in three beautiful sentences in the sixth chapter called Dhyana Yoga.

uddhared ātmanātmānaṁ nātmānam avasādayet

ātmaiva hyātmano bandhur ātmaiva ripur ātmanaḥ

What does it mean? One should uplift oneself by oneself. And never the mind should be made to be negative, to be depressed. Because a controlled mind is one's greatest friend. An uncontrolled mind is the greatest enemy of oneself.

And then he says

jitātmanaḥ praśhāntasya paramātmā samāhitaḥ

śhītoṣhṇa-sukha-duḥkheṣhu tathā mānāpamānayoḥ

What it simply means is a person who has conquered his own mind, master of his own mind. He attains Paramatma. He becomes one with Paramatma. And he attains the supreme peace. The entire scripture is only to tackle this mind. When the mind is active, duality and samsara are there. When the mind is resolved, duality and samsara are gone. Everything is the root cause of mind. That is why mind is called Maya. Maya is nothing but the mind. Mind is nothing but time, space and causation. Mind is nothing but Sattva, Prajna and Tamoguna. So, as long as the mind continues, the problem will continue. And so this is why Chittanirodha is very necessary and that is given a peculiar name. Instead of saying Chittanirodha, Gaudapada uses the word Amanibhavaha. That is getting out of the mind itself. That is called Amanibhavaha. The state of going beyond the mind. So in the next stanza, how to do this sadhana and how to make the mind Amani, non-mind. We are given the secret of how to reach this state of what is called Atma Bodha, God realization. That we will see in our next class.

Questions (Not Corrected)

This Avarana Shakti and Vikshepa Shakti, they are typically depicted as coverings of the true self. So the Avarana Shakti is always there and this Vikshepa Shakti is what we try to overcome. Like the Anyatagrahanam or when we say that it's superimposition. That's what we try to overcome with the CBT. So my question actually is about when we experience sense objects. There is that happiness, that Ananda that comes out even though it is temporary. Temporary removes the covering. So is it that this, are these like the double coverings or is it just like the one covering? So both are there in a karana avastha but Vikshepa Shakti is not functioning at that time. Otherwise you need to go to sleep only once and you wake up where? In Brahman, isn't it? Yes. Why this is not called, Nidra is not called realization? Because the same, the ignorance still is there. Yes. So you have to understand the absence of problems is not obtaining a positive something. You are not suffering but you are not also gaining something. So we have to get rid of all the things. Do you understand now? Yes. That part I understand. Which part did you not understand? The experience of sense objects when it temporarily removes the covering where that little bit of the true self percolates, which gives that happiness. The happiness is coming from within. So that little bit of happiness, that's the same as what we experience in deep sleep. The quality of happiness is the same. For a long time. But it will also come to an end. The only difference is it is in the waking state when we experience both. You have to remember that. Dukha and Dukha. You don't say you experience in waking state or dream state, only Sukha, isn't it? Yes. In the dreamless state these two things happen. First thing is we don't experience either Sukha or Dukha. Okay? Yes. And even when we are experiencing Sukha and Dukha in waking dream, a peculiar thing happens. When we are experiencing Sukha, we suffer because it has finished very soon. Yes. But when we are experiencing Dukha, we don't even apply the same experience and say just as Sukha is temporary, Dukha is also temporary. So Sukha, part of it only is there in the Nidra. And it lasts for a long time. Okay. Because Vikshayapashakti is totally absent. So it is not the, what is called, solution to the Maya. That's why it is called Karana Sharira. Karana means that so long as the seed is there, the sprout also is supposed to come. So you understand now? Yes, Maharaj. So it's the same. Okay, Maharaj. Thank you, Maharaj. Jai Thakur. Jai Thakur. Pranam Swamiji, Guruji Maharaj Ji, Pranam. Okay, Sharma. So you've very beautifully explained as to how mind is the cause of all the samsara. And you've also described the remedy of removing the negative thoughts, filling up with Shubhavasanas, and then finally go beyond it. So one is this question of, you know, you just said just now that about as to how you can't apply the same logic that the Sukha is temporary, while the Dukha appears to be a lot more permanent. And I just want to ask, could this be because the Dukha sort of takes you so deeply into the awareness that you're so far away from your true nature? Which is, you know it in the back of your mind, yeah? So that is why it's so urgent. Going further from the Atma. Yeah, and therefore it is very powerful, but the sad part though is it actually because it is powerful, it keeps you there longer. Longer than, you know, what would be the temporary nature of it. No, no. No? Dukha does not keep us longer. No? We keep the Dukha longer. Because I don't want to leave it. Is that the reason, really? Yes, our mind is the reason. There is no other reason. So that is one. The second part, which was the original question, is do you agree, you keep positively supporting CBT, but would you agree that mindfulness practice is a good practice? Because you're actually asking the mind to be more aware of all that is this samsara, somehow? Yes, both are pathways for bettering ourselves. If we observe, this is what happens. Sukha is temporary, we observe it. Okay. Dukha is also temporary, we observe it. I see. I see. Okay. Yeah. Okay, but that means there is a discrepancy in the way it is normally taught, you know, which it actually is to get more into your sensory awareness, the way it is generally being taught. Anyway, awareness is the key. I see. And that awareness is called Viveka. And the last, sorry I said only one, the self-control is the only answer, isn't it? Sadhana is the answer. In which self-control is what we are aiming at. Self-control comes first to psychology, how does psychology work? First to the psychologist, observes the person. Okay. Points out to the same person that there is no problem, it is your thinking that it is a problem. And when the person becomes aware of he is the root cause of his own problem, then he starts improving. Understand? Right, yeah, yeah. And so, sorry, just again about thought process. So, do we by our own mind process of how we operate after the awareness of what may be the initial problem, do we tend to, through our imaginations, make it worse? Because that's not the experience. Imagination can also deepen our dukkha or lessen our dukkha. Imagination should be in our control. Right, right, right. Okay, I think I've got my answer. Thank you so much. Jai Thakur. Okay, who is that? Hello. Namaste Maharaj. Okay, please say it. Yes, Maharaj, I have some confusion. So, you know, we are saying this is Brahman, you give the analogy that just as we dream in the dream state. This is also, Brahman can be dreaming, this can be, that is a creation, that is Brahman's dream. So, in that analogy, I'm just wondering that, you know, we say neti neti, we deny that this world is a dream, it does not really have that existence. So, yeah, so that is that almost one way, but then when we recognize that can also, can we also say that iti iti in the sense that if Brahman has split itself into the subject and object, which we call this world, then everything is Brahman. So, and that's where how we teach unity is that. So, there are many paths. Advaita is taking the path of neti neti. But all the other non-Advaitic schools of philosophy are following which path? Iti iti. God is real and he is a creator. He is powerful. If I pray to him, surrender to him, he will remove all my problems. Yes. So, many, many pathways, a goal is one. Pathways are many. Yes. We have to understand. Yes. Okay. Thank you. And from that itself also, Maharaja, I had a question connected maybe. There's a song by Ram Prasad in the gospel and in which there's a line where he says he's grasped through ecstatic love. How can you fathom him without it? And then the next line is only through affirmation, never negation, can you know him? Yes. So, what does this exactly mean? It means when we say neti neti, there's an affirmation, there is a negation. Yes. What is the negation? Whatever I am experiencing in the three states is not the reality. What is the affirmation? The person who is doing this action of negation alone is real. Okay. Neti neti is not to lead us to shoonya. It is to lead us something absolutely concrete, positive, satchitananda. Isn't it? Yes. Yes. So, finally, the affirmation is to say this step which I am now is not the truth. It is not to say it is not the truth. It is to say there are higher truths. Neti neti is to progress further, become bigger, include everything until there is nothing left which is not included. That is what comes sarvam kalvidam brahmam. Okay. Okay. Yes, Maharaj. Thank you, Maharaj. And you have not raised one question which I am raising now. Very important. So, Godfather says it is all dream of the Brahman. Who can dream? A fellow who has got a mind, he can dream. Yes. Is Brahman having a mind? Yes, Maharaj. I had that question but I did not. You have to ask that question. Brahman is without mind. Brahman is with mind. These are all whose imaginations? Mind's imaginations. Yes. Do you ask that question when you are in deep sleep? No. Do you ask the question when you are eating first class rasagulla? No. So, do you understand what I mean? All speculations are what is called properties of the mind, part of the mind. Understand? Yes. So, don't question about Brahman because Brahman is beyond mind, speech, everything. Yes. That is the real truth. First let us reach and then ask Brahman why he created. Okay, Preeti? Yes, Maharaj. Thank you. Jai Hind everybody. Jai Thakur.