Purusha Suktam Lecture 14 on 24-August-2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We have been studying a Purusha Suktam. In our last class, we have been discussing. There was a question for our understanding that first of all, Bhagawan had created the first creation, preliminary creation, Devas, Rishis, and Sadhyas, and He commanded them, now you propagate this creation, and what did they do? They took a required material, and that material was Bhagawan Himself, Purusha Himself, and they sacrificed Him. Sacrificing means they imagined, let Purusha be like this, and came out forests, worlds, all the food materials, all the seasons, that means time and space were created.

Then, as we have seen, let me create Lokapalas, that is going to come here a little later, but the most important, the very cream of creation are human beings. Why so? Because it is only human beings who can consciously plan, desire, and say, we wish to realize our potential divinity, we want to have four fruits of life, Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha, and only human beings can have, not non-human beings, be they lower beings like animals, or higher beings like the Devatas. Very rare. It is possible, but very rare.

Why? Because those who are lower, usually called animals, they are always busy in only two things, survival and propagation. Ahara, Nidra, Bhaya, Maithuna. Ahara, Nidra, Bhaya for survival. Maithuna for propagation. Until they evolve into human beings, where the person can think and then set goals consciously, rationally, and they are the four goals. Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.

Even though it is said in that way, but at the very beginning of our evolution, that is the lowest, first time human beings, and for a long time thereafter, they will be only with one, Kama. The order, I think, should be like this. Kama, Artha, Dharma, and then Moksha.

Why this order? I think there is a logic behind it. First, every animal, every creature, they want to fulfil Kama, desires. We want to survive. And then later on, through experience, like squirrel is an example. It is said that squirrels in the western countries, where it is extremely cold, they start gathering. And then they know winter is coming, we can't get food material, so let us store them. That is equivalent to Artha. Kama is the goal, but for that, Artha, Sangraha. So we are all human beings. If we get more money, better jobs, more influence, etc., we can get more money, etc., Artha. But what for? Nobody eats Artha. Nobody eats money. Nobody eats gold. But they can be used for the enjoyment. All enjoyments come under the category of Kama. So first comes Kama, and after some experience, we should be very safe. If we can do or store certain things, then that is Artha.

Then we understand the indiscriminate way of enjoying or storing things is not productive. It is in fact counterproductive. Then comes the discrimination. And what is the best way I can have and I can enjoy? That is when the quest for Dharma starts. And after Dharma, after a lot of experience, this acquiring, enjoying, losing, again acquiring, so acquisition, enjoyment, and losing, that tires a person.

Is there a permanent solution? After all, I am in search of happiness. So is there a happiness which is permanent? For that purpose, he will be desiring Moksha. So Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha. I think this is a little more logical order of understanding human evolution. Meaning the evolution of human mind, meaning evolution of understanding rightly, logically. That is how evolution takes place. That is why creation of human beings is the most important thing.

For that purpose, what did these Rishis, Sadhyas, and Devas do? They divided, they requested, rather they have done meditation. Oh Lord, you become human beings. And all human beings are categorized according to what we discussed in our last class. Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, and Shudra.

Now, I also discussed, it has nothing to do with Jati Brahmana. That is Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, etc. by birth. Caste is not to be counted. For that, I quoted Bhagavad Gita, Chaturbandhyam, Vyasrishtam. All the four castes have been created by me, not as birth, right? But depending upon what guna a person is exhibiting in a majority proportion.

Guna means, is it Tamoguna, is it Rajoguna, is it Satvaguna? So the higher is the Satvaguna, the better is the human being. Or evolution from Tamoguna, Rajoguna, to Satvaguna. This is one way of understanding. And by changing our external activities, Karma. Guna, Karma, Vibhagashaha. So, for example, if a person who is forced to be a meat seller, butchering animals, his nature gradually becomes worse and worse, he will lose all compassion. His heart becomes hardened, his sympathy, compassion, etc. becomes dried up. He becomes cruel. That is why even many countries had forbidden in the past, the butchers and some other classes. They are excluded from being judges in a criminal case, etc. Because their minds are not sympathetic at all. So this is how the division had come.

But one fact I have pointed out, highlighted, everybody came from God only. And we are imagining God as a human, in the form of a humanness. Really speaking, should Brahman be imagined as a human being? So, head is up, legs are down, middle part is the stomach, etc. That is only for the sake of right understanding. And what that right understanding was, I have explained in my last class. And very briefly, I will tell you.

Now, important part is that Tom, Dick and Harry hadn't become Brahmana or Kshatriya. It is Brahman himself. Brahma means the creator. Brahma's face became a Brahmin. Brahma's hands became Kshatriya. Brahma's thighs became a Vaishya. Brahma's feet became Shudra. And what is the symbolism of this? There are many symbolisms.

But what I said was, thinking or studying scriptures, preaching scriptures, thinking about God, thinking about righteousness, that belongs to the face, that is brain, that is mind, buddhi. And buddhi is supposed to be in the head. That is why Brahma's head became Brahmana. Who is a Brahmana? The person who lives only the scriptures, who studies the scriptures. That means he studies scriptures and he teaches scriptures. He culls the very essence of the scriptures. And not only his life will be transformed, he would like to help others also transform their lives accordingly. That is why he has been Brahmana, he has been given the highest honor.

Though later on, as it happens by our case, we pull the highest ideals down to suit our own convenience because of our selfishness. But that was not what was intended by the scriptures. Now, from the hands, or bhujas we call it, has come the Bahurajanyaha Krithaha. Brahma's hands became what is called law enforcers or law keepers. Because Brahmanas give the law, do this, don't do this. Scriptures only tell two things, Vithi and Nishedha. So Brahmanas are the upkeepers, propagators of the scriptures.

And therefore, somebody has to be there. If somebody is not doing what they are supposed to do, somebody is doing what they are not supposed to do, both must be corrected. Otherwise, the whole society will be endangered. For that purpose, there must be some people who are good, righteous, strong, even-minded, not selfish. So such people are called Kshatriyas. And hands represent the Kshatriyas because punishing etc. is usually done by the hands.

Then society cannot survive by one man. Society means collection of human beings, also collection of places. The bigger the country, the more it is divided. So climate differs according to the different regions. Himalayan region, for example, produces certain types of things. Good is there, beautiful fruits which are never available, can never be grown except in mountainous areas. And many of the medicines, medicinal plants, etc. can grow only under certain circumstances. So everything has got a downside and upside also. Now, for hot places, the further you come down to the south, south always represents heat only. Then many things can be grown when there is sufficient amount of rains, etc. And for that purpose, for the rains also, in the past, even today, we are dependent upon the rivers. And rivers come only because of rains. And rains come only when Gods are pleased. And Gods are pleased when they are worshipped, when we pray to them, kindly look after us.

So that is why He says, Parasparam Bhavayantaha. In the Bhagavad Gita, 3rd chapter, Shreyan Paramam Avapsyatha. How? Parasparam Bhavayantaha. Let human beings worship Gods. Let Gods bless human beings with all things that are necessary for enjoyment as well as further evolution.

From the human beings onwards, evolution takes two special ideals. One is enjoy life. The better person you become, the higher will be your enjoyment. The highest such enjoyment is called Brahmaloka. But at the same time, Brahmaloka is not a permanent goal. It is only to give us a glimpse of that Brahmananda. Brahmaloka gives us a glimpse into Brahmananda. If this world which is temporary can give so much of happiness, then how much happiness we can get by becoming one with Ananda. Brahman means Sat, Chit and Ananda.

So that is how the Yajnas, Yagas have to be done. And they can be done only by the kings, etc. So law enforcers and for the welfare of the kingdoms, mean societies, these people used to perform Yajnas, Yagas.

And for that, tremendous amount of strength is necessary to subdue the mal elements, wicked people, Rakshasas. Tremendous strength is necessary. Strength is represented by the hands. That is how from Brahma's strength-giving hands came out the Kshatriyas. That is how we have to understand what is called Kshatriya.

Then, as I mentioned, different regions grow different things. And we require many things for our enjoyment. So there should be trade. There should be exchange. What you grow in excess, you send it to us. What we grow in excess, we will send it to you. Thus, there must be an equidistribution that is only possible by moving here and there. And by studying the situation, what each region really requires, etc. And doing all those things requires a lot of movement. And that movement is done by what we call Vaishyas, traders. Krishi, Gauraksha, Vanijya. Krishi, agriculture. Gauraksha, that is looking after the welfare of the animals, etc. Vanijya, trade. Righteous trade.

How? So you supply, you buy, and then you take with reasonable profit, give it, distribute it to people who cannot grow it, and who require it for their fulfillment of enjoyment, and what they have, which other people do not have, distribute it. That is the specialty. That is why, ऊरू तद्वैश्यहा। तद्अस्य इत्वैश्यहा।

Then there must be workers. Work should be done properly. And for that, a lot of people, a large number of humanity, they are not capable of thinking, they do not have that much of strength, and they do not have even the intelligence or unselfishness to distribute things. But they are quite happy and they should be doing what is called mostly manual work. They are called Shudras. And that is why, पर्भ्याम् शुद्रो अजायता। This is the, I think, what Bhagavan Krishna is telling, गुण कर्मविभाग्रशः चातर्वयन्वर्ण्यम् मया शृष्टम्

So this is how we have to take figuratively. We should not simply take it in whatever way we like. But a little different way of thinking also we can do that.

So whatever human beings want to do or even other creatures also, where does it start? First it starts as a thought. Somebody is coming and the person or the being might hurt even animals, even insects. You lift your hand and move it towards the insect, it tries to move away from you because it doesn't know whether you want to caress it, mostly you want to kill it, harm it, injure it.

So therefore, every action starts only from thought. And the Brahmana represents the thought element. Then to carry out, one requires tremendous strength, physical, and not only mental, but physical also. That is represented by the Kshatriyas. Then merely Sankalpa will not do, strength will not do. It must be put into action. And for that purpose, the whole body has to move from place to place. And that is represented by the Vaishyas. And then to make that action complete, fulfill it in an exquisite manner, we require to do a lot of work. And that is fulfilled by the Shudras.

Even the same person thinking, resolving, and then trying to put it into action, and trying to use all the limbs of the body, all the ten sense organs, to make that work perfect, that represents the entire human potentiality.

A simple example I am giving, you can imagine your own. Suppose there is a carpenter, he wants to sculpt a beautiful, he wants to make a furniture. So he has to think, he has to imagine. That is the Brahmana part of the carpenter. Then he requires tremendous willpower. The higher the ideal, the greater the production he wants to make. Greater should be the willpower. It may take years, it may take a lifetime also. For that purpose, tremendous Sankalpa Shakti is necessary. That is the Kshatriya part, Sankalpa Bala. Kshatriya part of every human being. Then for that, he has to move his hands, feet, he must have instruments, etc. And that movement, collection of the material, arranging it properly, that is the Vaishya part, movement part. Then sheer physical labor until the project is completed. So that represents the Shudra. It has nothing to do with Jati. All problems come with this wrong thinking of Jati, etc.

Now, another way of thinking. We are all, as I mentioned many times, we are all standing on the escalator called evolution, willy-nilly, because we came from God, and the escalator is slowly taking us towards God only. For that purpose, what is the first thing that is needed? First, we have to do Sankalpa. What is it? That I want to make spiritual progress. And for that, I study scriptures, I pray to God, and then right understanding descends from God. Then I understand God-realization is the only goal of life. That represents the Brahmanic part, the Sattvika part of the human personality.

Then, a lot of movement is necessary. So, so many births, so many births are also necessary. A person should have to go on pilgrimage, Tirtha Yatra, visit so many Ashramas, meet so many Sadhus, do so much of Satsanga. That requires tremendous mental, not only physical, but mental power to be able to derive the highest benefit. That represents what is called Prajoguna, power of the Prajoguna, here represented as Kshatriyas.

And then, what is the Vaishya? Vaishya means a person has to move all the time. Tremendous movement from inorganic to the highest human being. It is a complete movement, not only mere movement, but meaningful movement, and for that purpose, we have to balance, we have to do everything.

And I forgot to tell you, even Kshatriya represents tremendous strength of the mind, and to control the mind, a great willpower is needed. So tremendous willpower and the desire to control the mind, that is the representation of the Kshatriya part of the Brahman.

Then, Vaishya. So many words, slowly we are evolving, intelligently we start thinking, all that movement is very necessary, and that represents the Vaishya part.

Where comes the Shudra part then? A Shudra has to do a lot of physical work, even it is very interesting, a person wants to maintain his family, he obtains a job, and whole day, from morning till evening, he is only doing Shudra job, in order to earn a pittance, a small amount of money, etc. So Shudra is physical work.

God has endowed us with physical body, He has endowed us with prana for movement, endowed us with mind and buddhi to think properly, and endowed us with the highest ideal, so everybody represents Sattva guna, Prajoguna, Tamoguna in different proportions. So that is one way of understanding how Brahma, the original creative material, has been imagined by Rishis, Devas and Sadhyas.

Now very interesting, I remembered while I was studying this one, that even a whole of western philosophy is nothing but, as somebody remarked, footnotes to Plato's teachings. Plato was nothing but Socrates' teachings. Now Plato divides society into three categories, but somebody else also has interpreted in a different way.

What are the three categories? The Producers, the Auxiliaries and the Guardians. And who are the Producers? Shudras. Who are the Auxiliaries? They are called the Warriors. And whatever is produced, these must be protected, saved from being misused, or wrongly used, or selfishly accumulated. For that, Warriors are necessary. These are called Auxiliaries. But at the same time, some people must be there. They are called Merchants, who carry what is excessively produced in one place, to where less produced in another place, bring about, supplying everybody with what they lack, and taking away what a person doesn't lack. They act as intermediaries between those who produce more, and those who produce less of different items. They are called Merchants. And then the highest people, they must know what society should be like, what will bring real happiness, and what qualities a person must develop. Such people who think these highest thoughts and ideals, they are called Philosophers. Even he also said like that.

This is how we have to understand this particular mantra, that Pramanavasya Mukhamahsit Uru Vaishya Vahurajaneha Padhyam Shudra Vajayatha. That is how we have to understand.

Now we move on to the Manushyas who have been created, and Srishti is going on. But it is only the Manushyas, the human beings, that are capable of self-reflection, that are capable of self-objectification, making themselves as though they are somebody else, and analyzing them from what we say head to foot or foot to head, and come to a decision and consciously decide, this will be the goal of my life, etc. For that purpose, the world also has to be divided.

Now here comes a most marvelous concept. Brahma, the basic material of Brahman for creation, as it were, divided himself into three categories. In simple words, you must have heard many times, and especially when I have been taking the Shweta Shwetra Upanishad, Prashna Upanishad also, and recently we have been taking the Aitareya Upanishad, Lokan Asrujata, then Lokapalan, Lokapalanu Srujayam Iti.

Let me create the Lokapalas, that is, those who keep the Lokas for them to function in the most proper manner, policing, controlling, law enforcing, that is most important. And Kshatriyas were supposed to be that one, just as we have discussed now. Now this is a most marvelous concept. I have discussed it. I will try to explain in as simple a manner as possible.

Ishwara, that is, Brahma, that is the basic material, the totality of this universe is called Ishwara. If it is the totality of the Sthula Sharira, he is called Virat. If it is the totality of all the subtle minds, Sokshma Shariras, he is called Hiranyagarbha. And if he is the totality of all Karana Shariras, Karana means causal, that is, Ishwara became the causal world, and we are all part of that causal world.

Then Ishwara came down a little, and he became the Hiranyagarbha, and Hiranyagarbha is the totality of the causal world, and we are all having bits and pieces of his mind. He is called universal mind, our self is called individual mind. What is the relationship? All our minds together, they are called universal mind, otherwise in Sanskrit called Hiranyagarbha.

Then we have also got this physical body, external body, and this body individually, we call my body, your body. But the totality of all Sthula Shariras is called Virat.

So first there was Ishwara, Ishwara evolved into Hiranyagarbha, Hiranyagarbha evolved into Virat, and then we are all like the cells within each human body. As we know, we have got billions and billions of cells. Then what is the problem or what is the right understanding? Even though we call the billions and billions of cells, we call our body, but particular type of cells only function or do particular type of activity.

For example, the cells that go to make up the eye can see, can perceive colors. The particular cells that go to make up what we call ear have the capacity to hear and obtain knowledge. So you can imagine particular cells for taste, particular cells for smell, particular cells for the body, and all these are meant for two purposes. One is to protect ourselves from dangers. Suppose a mosquito is trying to bite you, and if your skin is so thick, you will not get a sensation, then diseases can come, you can become weak, etc. But the same skin can also give you, when you enter after a hot day's movement outside into your air-conditioned room, it is like Swarga Loka. Apply this analogy to everything.

So what am I trying to convey to you? Ishwara became what we call the three bodies, that is causal body, subtle body, and gross body. And externally, that is universally, if we extend this meaning, then what we have to see is Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika, a triangle. Ishwara has become a triangle.

What is it? Those of you who are hearing my Aitareya Upanishad, I tried to explain in my last class, but here also I am trying to explain this. So it is said, take the example of the sun, it is called Aditya. What is Aditya? Light, light and heat. And the heating and lighting combined together produces the entire external world, that is called Adhibhautika. The sun's special power of light, light means the ability to see a bit of that sun's part, an infinitesimal part of the sun, had become our eye.

When I say eye, it is not the external eye that we perceive when we look at each other. That is called window. But that Indriya doesn't belong to the gross body. The eye, the formation, because even blind people can have perfect eye, but this is a window. A window's function is to house the Indriya. And this example, our physical eye, physical window called eye, it houses that tremendous capacity to see, to distinguish. This is yellow, this is red, this is white, this is black, the seven colors, what we call. That special capacity to perceive, to experience what is called the external world in the form of colors is called the seeing process. And that is a very subtle process. And so when we call eye, we mean both. Not only the physical eye, my eye is capable of seeing and that capacity to see is the manifestation of the sun. That is how we have to understand.

So the sun divided himself, as it were, into billions and billions and billions and billions of pieces of eyes and has become as manifesting, rather, in the form of the eye of a human being, eye of a dog, eye of an elephant, eye of a fish, eye of a mosquito, etc., etc., etc. Now, the eye must have a capacity, it has a capacity, but it requires, the color must be there for it to perceive that totality of colors which the eye is specially created to experience is called Adi Bhautika. I hope I am able to convey that idea. Each individual eye, it is capable of perceiving the colors and the colors must belong to an object and all the totality of the objects having special colors, for example, a green leaf, an yellow blossom, a red rose, etc., that is called Adi Bhautika.

Whatever is experienced, an object and our eye will be capable of seeing this color, but it requires the grace of Aditya in the form of light. So the eye has the capacity to take the light of the sun and then use that light and through the medium of that light, it will be able to experience various colors.

So there must be an external world with all the five sensations, not only color, but sound, smell, taste, touch, etc. And we must have five sense organs capable of experiencing each one. And the totality of our power of not only seeing, totality of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, the totality of all this is called Adi Sthathru Devata. So in our Vedanta, we have divided the whole body, hands, feet, all the Indriyas, including the mind, etc. So the totality of all minds, including animals, insects, etc., minds, is called Chandrama.

What we call, not what scientists call, a physical, a small planet, a chunk of the earth called moon, that is terribly wrong. Vedantic understanding is, moon, what we perceive, is only an external object. But the real nature of the being of the moon is called Chandra Devata.

The sun we see is a burning mass of gas. That is what the scientists see. That is what we also accept should not. What we see, yes, it is a burning mass of gas. But who is manifesting in that way? There is a called Surya Devata. These are called Devatas. So Surya is there, Chandra is there, Indra is there, Vishnu is there, and all the Pancha Bhutas are the Adi Sthathru Devatas for the entire world.

I will just give one small example, which I have given in the Aitareya Upanishad. There is the sunlight, there is a green tree, and I am standing in front of it. I represent, my eye represents Adhyatmika, the tree represents Adhibhautika, and the sun represents Adhidaivika. But all the three is a triangle. A triangle cannot be called a triangle even if one angle is missing. So what is this example here? Supposing there is sunlight and a green tree is there with beautiful yellowish Banginapalli mangoes, and my eye is quite capable of distinguishing everything. I will be able to experience when these three, my eye capable of seeing and the object called mango tree, beautiful mango tree with full of mangoes is the tree Adhibhautika, and there must be sufficient light for me to perceive it. Only when these three join together, then they experience by me that ah, a beautiful mango tree.

Similarly, I will give another example. Imagine music is going on and I go to hear the music and my ears must have the capacity to understand that sound, to experience a sound. So the sound is called a light of the ear. The smelling capacity is called the light of the nose, nostrils. The tasting capacity is called the light of the Prasanendriya, the tongue. And the cold and heat, soft and hard, that capacity to distinguish these four, that is called the Sparshendriya, so Devata. Now again, once more.

So when there is music, I am there, somebody is producing the music, my ears are perfectly working, when these three come together, there is an experience of beautiful music.

Similarly, there is a fragrant flower, my nostrils are perfectly working, I am not having deep cold, etc. And there must be wind to carry that fragrance forward. When these three things come together, I have a beautiful, pleasant experience of the smell.

There is a sweet and my tongue is not dumb or numb and the capacity is there. So that capacity God has given of taste, Sparsha. And when these three things come together, the sweet, the capacity to enjoy it, and then me having that particular... these three come together, and then I have a very pleasant experience of taste.

Beautiful breeze, I am able to feel it, and Vayu Devata is there. When these three things come together, I have a beautiful experience. Now, I hope I have conveyed any break in this triangle. Experience is not possible at all.

So that is why that is being explained here. What did the Purushas do? What did the other Rishis, Devas and Sadhyas do? Human beings are produced, now human beings have to live life. Life consists of these ten sense organs, five of action, five of knowledge. The function of the five of knowledge is called input. And the five actions of the Karmendriyas, that is, sense organs of action, they are called Karmendriyas, are called outputs.

Yes, I see a mango tree, but I want to eat it. Therefore, my legs have to carry me there, my hands have to catch hold of the mango, and the mango has to be washed, or even if I... it must bring it to my mouth, and then only I should be able to bite it, remove the skin, and then enjoy the object. So inputs and outputs should be there. And the whole of life is a combination of these three. Adhishtatra Devata, or Adhidaivika, and Adhibhautika, and Adhyatmika.

So human beings, and the world, and the blessings of all these Devatas working through all these sense organs. I hope this introduction is enough. With this, we will proceed to the 14th part of this Purusha Sukta. Chandra Maha Manaso Jataha Chakshoh Suryah Ajayata Mukhat Indrascha Agnischa Pranad Vayuho Ajayata

See how beautifully it is put. But we have to understand it from Brahma's mind. The Rishis, Devatas, and Sardhyas, they are imagining in their mind. Remember, the whole creation, like any artist's production, first will be only in the intellectual part of it, in the buddhi, in the mind. So this whole creation is like that. That is why dream is the best example of this creation.

So from Brahma's mind came the moon. From Brahma's eye came the sun. From Brahma's face came Indra Agni. And from the soul, that is here actually Prana. The translation is not correct. Here from Vayu, Vayu part of the Brahma has come this Prana. Because when the wind blows, air flows, then all the, what we call, oxygen for us, and carbon dioxide for non-humans like plants, etc. is possible. So what we breathe out will be Prana Vayu for the plants. What they breathe out will be Prana Vayu for us.

That is why because of the environmental pollution, we are suffering from various health issues only because we are destroying this mutual harmonious interdependence. We are breaking it very fast because of our stupidity and inability to think.

Like Kalidasa, before he became Kalidasa, was facing the tree and cutting the branch on which he was sitting. Not able to understand. When the branch falls, he will also fall along with the branch and he may get injured, he may die also. We are like that. But we are cutting off the very source of our own health and happiness. Anyway, it is a different issue.

How beautifully Purusha Supta is depicting now, how this Chandra is connected with the mind. Every mind is born of the Chandra. And Chandra is born from where Brahma's mind became the Chandrama. So Brahma's capacity to see or give light is called Surya. From Surya came Chakshu or our eye and from the same Aditya or Surya, he produces the entire what we call Adivautika. There is Sun, there is the external world. There is no Sun, there is no external world. There is no Sun, there is no internal world. Because without external body, mind also will not function. It is not possible. Only when we interact with the external world, any movement is really possible. So Chakshu Suryo Ajayata.

From Brahma's mind came the Moon and from the Moon came the every mind. From Brahma's mind through the Moon became the mind of each one of us, a piece of it. From Brahma's eye came the Sun. From the Sun came our eyes and all the objects endowed with colours. So you can extrapolate. That is the sound also has come etc. etc. And from the face of Brahma, that is Irat Purusha. Instead of saying Brahma, we can also use the word Irat Purusha.

So that is why we said Purusha himself became Yagna Pashu. That Purusha, that Brahma, from his face, his face became transformed, manifested as Indra and Agni. And from the Prana of Brahma, it became manifested as Vayu, what we experience as the air, the wind. And that became what we call our organ. This is how every part of the Brahma has come out as the Adhishtratru Devata from the presiding deity.

Adhishtratru Devata means totality of all the knowledge in five different ways. And from those Adhishtratru Devatas, as it were manifesting, like if you put in front of you a thousand mirrors, you will appear as each reflection of you. You are one, but your reflections are many.

Like that, the mind of Brahman is one, but it is reflecting in each one of our body, and our bodies become, rather our body-mind complex becomes mirror-like. That is why in Vedanta, we call it Chidabhasa. Abhasa means reflection. So that means what? Whether you take it from the external world, take it as a totality of every one of us together, our bodies and minds, or totality of all the Adhishtratru Devatas, they are none other than manifestation of Brahma only. I hope the idea is clear.

Evir Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma Now, why this, for example, why the mind has come from the moon? That is what we need to... If one example is given, you can, what we call, extrapolate the whole thing and apply it to every other organ. So it is said also, the Adhipati of the hands is Indra, Adhipati of the legs is Vishnu, etc.

There is a book called Vedanta Sara or Tattvabodha, which is the organ, which is the Adhishtratru Devata, and what is the relationship between them. This is beautifully given. Perhaps I will discuss it in the next class. But today's class, I just want to give you one example.

Now, this is not only a mere normal observation, even scientists had found out, and I have come to know about it from Swami Harshanandji's talks on Purusha Suktam, and he said that scientists conclusively proved that supposing there is a lunatic asylum, mental hospital, and it is said, by collecting all the statistics, that all the workers working there will not be given leave two days before full moon, two days after the full moon.

Why? Because when the moon is in the fullest phase, the power of the moon will be the full. And our human bodies, the bodies of everything in this world, seven-tenth of it is nothing but water. And the mind is somehow compared to that water. So the influence, just as an ocean, a river, it goes through a terrible transformation at the time of full moon, as well as new moon, what we call Amavasya, and Purnima. This is an observed fact. I myself have observed. You can also observe it.

If you go to Belur mud, 11th day Ekadashi, the river becomes absolutely the cleanest that it can become. Somehow, moon wroughts that miracle. But what we call ebb and tide will be so terrible, especially when the moon is nearer to the earth, because it is moving sometimes near, sometimes farther away. So it is so marvelous even to contemplate it.

These scientists have found out that all the patients, they will not be allowed to go anywhere. They will be confined to their rooms because they can do damage. And slowly their madness increases for two days and again it comes to subsides and controllable capacity returns back. Then workers can go and live, etc., etc.

That is why, Chandrama, there is a relationship between what we call the moon and what the scientists call the moon, not what we call the moon. It will be wrong to say that. What we should call — Chandradevata, Suryadevata, Vayudevata, Agnidevata, Jaladevata, Bhudevata or Bhumata. And in our Puranas, we say Bhudevi and Sridevi, they are the consorts of Lord Vishnu. Those who go to Tirupati, they know it very well. Sridevi is on the hill, that is Tirumala, and Bhudevi, she is below called Tirupati, that is at the bottom of the hill. Why? Because this is all connected with what we are discussing. All the Devatas, everything is nothing but Devata. Our bodies come from Devatas, our minds come from Devatas, and the whole external world comes from Devatas. It is a manifestation of Devatas, and these Devatas are nothing but another manifestation of Brahman. And ultimately, everything is Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma. I would like to elaborate a little bit on this, which I will do in my next class.

Om Jananim Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamaami Mohur Mohur May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti and also Jnanam. Jai Ramakrishna.