View source for Dakshinamurti Stotram Part 31 on 04 April 2021

== Full Transcript(Not Corrected) ==
OM JANANIM SHARDAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM
PADAPADMETAYOR SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUHU
OM YO BRAHMANAM VIDADHATI PURVAM
YO VAI VEDAMSYA PRAHINOTI TASMAI
TAMHA DEVAM ATMA BUDDHI PRAKASHAM
MUMOKSHUR VAI SHARANAMAHAM PRAPADYE
We have been discussing the 8th verse of the Dakshinamurthy Stotram
which is one of the most profound verses.
The essence of what we discussed was this entire universe
that we are living in and interacting is a universe of plurality,
multiplicity, bheda. We see everything as different from everything else.
Every single object in this universe is different
from every other single object in this universe.
This is called duality and this duality leads to a consequence which very few
of us realize. That consequence is called
relationship. The whole universe is nothing but
a world of relationships. Whether a person
is happy or unhappy, positive or negative,
progressing or stagnating or going down, all depends upon one's
relationship. Spiritual life is nothing but
to forge a spiritual relationship. That means we all
are united in that central point which is called Brahman. At first we want
to get rid of negative relationships. Adharma,
practice of Adharma is nothing but getting rid of
negative relationships. Then we develop positive relationships
and as we progress we understand no relationship is necessary because the
reality is one and no more. Advaitam Brahma.
Thereafter, if the person in that knowledge gives up
the body, that person has no problem. He will be forever merged in the supreme
reality called Brahman. Brahma with Brahmaiva Bhavati.
But in case, not out of his will but out of God's will, if that body-mind
is preserved, who functions through that body-mind is
God himself and not that previous personality called Jeevatma
and he sees the whole universe as nothing but
Brahman. In that perception of Brahman also,
not that the person will not consider, will not
see the duality. Like a person who understands what is a mirage, still
perceives the mirage but doesn't fall under the delusion that it is a real
water because he knows the truth and because of
the truth he will not be affected by tiredness, running after it,
desiring it and then finally suffering from it.
Every Jeevan Mukta has this dual vision. From the vyavaharika point of view,
body-mind duality, differentiation, manyness, everything is perceived,
experienced and action and reaction follow it.
But at the same time, he knows this is all
one Brahman with Nama Rupa and as a result
he enjoys every experience which we classify as either positive or
negative. So the reason why in this eighth verse we
are discussing all these classifications is to cognize
the fact it's a world of relationships. Duality
means a world of relationships and Shankaracharya
divides all relationships into four categories
karya and karana, cause and effect. We see in this world everything
as cause and effect. Here is a girl or a boy
and they are born, their effects of their parents.
Parents are the cause, children are the effect but when these very
children grow up and then again happen to, if they happen to marry
and they become the cause and they produce children
which are called effects. Here is wood and a carpenter
transforms it to a furniture or clay into pots etc., gold into
ornaments etc. So we say gold is the cause,
wood is the cause, clay is the cause, the ornaments, the furniture
or the pots etc. are the effects and then
this is what is the relationship then for example
between the carpenter and a table. He is the nimitta karana
and it is an effect. Wood is the what we call the material cause, the
carpenter is the intelligent cause, the planer, the hammer etc.
is the instrumental cause. So cause and effect, cause and effect.
A person passes medical science and he becomes a doctor.
Study of the medical knowledge is the cause. He is becoming a doctor
is the effect. So if he understands properly
then he diagnoses the patients and helps him recover if everything goes
alright and that is called karya karana. See
anything whether the sun, the moon, the planets, the galaxies,
living beings, non-living beings. Another example
the Himalayas. The tectonic plates beneath the earth, beneath the ocean
they clash and push up something when they come together
and this is the result is the mountains and again when they drift apart slowly
these things will come down. The severe low temperature in the
arctic areas is the cause of freezing the oceans but when the atmosphere
becomes heated and again all those ice caps, huge
millions of square meters becomes melted again
and raising the sea levels and destroying cities
near them. So cause and effect, cause and effect. That is the first one.
Then the second one is Swaswami. Ramana is superior
to Shudra and a teacher is superior to the student.
A prime minister is superior to all other workers
etc. Swaswami sambandha. This is another type of duality resulting in
another type of relationships. Then teacher and
taught. Anybody can teach us and anybody who teaches us becomes the acharya
and anybody who learns sincerely is called a student.
Here also the relationship one of reverence,
one of reception and parasparambhavayantaha.
So that relationship makes a great deal of difference
whether this teacher is able to teach, whether the student is able to
grasp. Then of course we have got Pitru Putra.
It means for parents, children, brothers and sisters and friends, relatives,
families and then one's religion, one's language.
What a relationship it forges. I have seen it.
When two people who are not known to each other,
as soon as they hear their mother tongue being talked,
they leave everything and run towards each other.
This relationship comes. Then if by chance they come to know they are
initiated by the same guru, another relationship is forged creating
dissensions and then conflicts in many other types of things.
Comparing one guru to the other and the moment we start comparing
our relationship with these different personalities
also become very completely delineated. Look in whatever way you like in
spiritual life, all these relationships from a sadhana
point of view are divided into three. These are
popularly known as Dvaita, Visishta Dvaita and Advaita.
From our earlier discussions you can discuss
this Dvaita or differentiation or classified by Vedanta into three
categories. What is it? Vijatiya, the difference that
exists between two different species. For example, mango tree and coconut tree.
Sajatiya, two mango trees and one yields sour fruits,
another eats very sweet fruits. So there is a difference between them.
Nobody will mistake them. Even while buying we make all these
differences. This is Alphonso, this is Malgova, this is Neelam, etc., etc.
Then same Swagata Veda, within the same tree
there are branches, flowers, blossoms, unripe fruits,
ripe fruits, fruits at a lower level, fruits at a higher level.
All these differentiations create different relationships. For example,
if I see two fruits, one is unripe, another is ripe. Immediately
without our conscious thinking we reach for the ripe fruit
and that is how I like it, I love you and I do not
like it, I do not love you. This is the type of relationship
and depending upon the relationship the effect also will come there
and that relationship produces bondage and spiritual life is to get rid of this
Raga Dvesha mainly and to do that the only way is
to get rid of the differentiation and finally
when all the differentiations have been removed
that supreme vision dawns upon each one of us, the reality is one
and seeing difference is because of the delusion.
So that is why so much of analysis is there.
Yesterday we discussed waker, dreamer, sleeper relationship.
Then we also are going to discuss a little bit more
cause and effect and cause and effect are the resultant
of time, space and causation. Cause is earlier,
effect is later. A seed comes first and the seedling or plant or tree
comes later on. So this is the sequence without
much cognizance we are acting upon it like anything.
Then master and servant, superior and inferior
and then teacher and the taught and father, mother etc.
This is the classification with which it will
make it easy for us to understand this 8th verse.
यह एशः पुरुषः मया परिभ्रामितः
तस्मयि स्री गुरुमूर्तये नमयिदम् स्री दक्षिनामूर्तये
He who is the supreme reality called Purusha
whirled in Maya, sees the world in terms of cause and effect
diversely related as possessor and possession,
father and son, teacher and taught, both in the
state of waking and dreaming. To him the divine teacher
who removes all this duality and at one stroke destroys
all the relationships the resultant of this duality
to that supreme teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy
who is manifesting in the form of my own teacher
is this prostration again and again. So we are seeing yesterday
विश्वं पश्चति, each one of us perceives, perceives means
that is the highest truth. I am the son, I am the parent,
I am the officer, I am a doctor, I am a lawyer,
I am an enemy, I am an Indian, you are a Pakistani etc. etc.
This is the division. So we have discussed in sufficient details and we
saw that this division and plurality is
everywhere, not only in human beings but in every
living creature, in plants also. I'll just give one
small example. In a forest where there is a very tall
tree and then beneath it its own offspring
from the its own seeds fall down and when these
small seeds want to grow up, remember every seed is heliocentric,
it wherever you plant it, it grows towards light
but the parent tree doesn't allow it, not consciously perhaps but it is the
greatest competitor. So some plants have developed what we
call terrible cleverness, they become climbers
and then they take the very tree which is opposing them
as the support like zoodo and goes on growing
and reaches the topmost and sometimes even smothers the tallest tree
which dies because of the lack of sunlight. It's such a wonderful system
and there are some things, they sponge upon, they are called
parasites and they go on sitting there and sucking
the very blood of a parent tree and then
when that tree dies, they shift their allegiance
to the nearby one. What I am trying to tell you,
in every living species there is this Bheda differentiation, distinction
and it is impossible. If we want to understand this particular shloka,
what did we discuss so far? The world is nothing but a world of duality
and where there is duality, there will be a relationship
and different types of relationships we have discussed so far
and seeing these relationships, forging these relationships
whether it is positive or negative, both are causes of bondage.
Our endeavour as a sadhaka, this particular Dakshinamurthy Stotram
is to inculcate the knowledge that all duality is
completely false. We must see only unity and oneness in everything that we see.
The underlying reality, the platform, the background, the substratum
which is categorically declared by every scripture as Brahman
and just as a dry desert becomes the platform,
a rope becomes the platform for deluding ourselves as a mirage or as a snake,
Brahman is the substratum without which it is not possible.
Once we perceive the substratum, the delusions might remain
but they will not be able to affect us. Then a wonderful transformation comes
and that is called seeing Brahman everywhere,
in every way and enjoying Brahma Leela
and that is what many great teachers tell us.
Instead of merging completely in Brahman, the joy one gets by seeing Brahman and
playing as part of the Brahman is much much more desirable.
Advaitam Advaitadapi Sundaram Duality is much more enjoyable than even Advaita.
To recap what we discussed, Waker-Dreamer-Sleeper relationship,
Possessor-Possessed relationship which falls into four categories,
Cause and Effect, Time-Space-Causality, Master and Servant, Superior-Inferior,
Teacher and Taught, the tradition of passing the teaching
from Para and Aura, from the superior to the lower, not inferior, to the lower,
from the teacher to the taught and all the
worldly relationships that we have including the relation, negative
relationship called enmity etc. These are all delusions.
Now why are we having these delusions? That is what we need to discuss now.
Maya Pari Brahmitah As if Brahman has become powerless by its
own power, as if the power of Brahman overpowers Brahman,
as if, always keep that word as if and it makes Brahman think.
Really can it make? No. Brahman himself wants to play with himself
and this is how with his own Shakti, Prakrutim Swam Adhishtaya Sambhavami Atma Mayaya.
This is the process. What is Maya? Where there is one,
we perceive the many. Several examples are given.
Shri Ram Krishna also gives an example. Let's
imagine there is one sun and ten potfuls of water. How many suns are there?
Eleven suns. One the sun in the sky, the real sun
and ten reflections. Now we are talking all these realities nothing but the reflections.
So he says, he gives this beautiful example. Supposing one pot is broken.
How many suns are there? One real sun and nine reflections.
Suppose nine pots are broken. How many suns are there?
One real sun and one reflected sun. Supposing the last pot is also broken.
How many suns now? And one so-called intelligent person,
thought he was intelligent, he replied one sun is there.
Immediately the axe came down from Shri Ram Krishna and said now.
It is the reflected sun which says I am a reflected sun.
I am one and the original sun is one. Different from me.
I am the reflection. So I am not the original sun.
Original and duplicate sun, two suns. The moment the mirror is broken,
who is to say that there is or there was a reflection is there.
Nobody should say, nobody can say because the sun doesn't calculate.
It is the reflected suns which calculate all these things.
What is that reflecting media? Our mind.
What is the reflected sun? This is called Maya and that causes.
So Maya Paribhramitah, overcome by Maya, as if Brahman,
sees reality where there is only himself as one
and then he goes on forging relationships and then he goes on suffering.
But does this suffering go on and on and when will it come to an end?
And that is where the Advaita Vedanta provides the answer and says,
how long do you have dreams? Because if there is something curious psychology here.
Every dream begins at a particular point of time
and whatever begins at a particular point must come to an end.
This is a universal law. That which is born must die or disappear at some point.
But again Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures come to our aid.
What is that aid? It is this, that even though the Swapna,
in the Swapna, in the dream, that there is a beginning,
we call it Janma, birth and death, but they are not really birth and death.
As we in our ignorant state understand it, it is nothing but the unmanifested
comes into being experienced, into manifestation
and that which remains as experienced, some experienceable something,
goes out of our capacity to experience it
and that is what we call death. There is no birth, there is no death.
It is a play of manifestation and non-manifestation.
So this whole Swapna begins at a time. It's a manifestation of the waker.
As we discussed yesterday, in the dream world,
the one waker remaining constantly as a witness
divides himself into three, as the witness,
as the participator and the objective world,
Swapna Loka and as soon as a Swapna ends, what does he realize?
That was a dream. I am the only one. There were so many divisions there
and I am the only one. There is no division at all.
As soon as he comes out of that dream state,
he understands that whatever happened in the dream
has no effect whatsoever. He is the same
undivided whole, unaffected by whatever happens
during all the dream experiences. So also a sadhaka,
when he comes to know, I am the highest reality
and then he enjoys everything, positive, negative,
just as we enjoy a drama or a cinema. That is the
most important fact. So the whole universe consists of duality,
means relationships and as cause and effect,
as teacher and taught and as superior and inferior,
as family relationships, as a friend or enemy
and these are all, there is only one cause for all this
and that is called Maya. How to get out of that Maya?
Only by the grace of God which comes to us
in the form of the grace of our own teacher.
The entire teachers of everybody in this universe, past, present and future
is presented as Dakshinamurthy. Dakshinamurthy is not a
individual deity or individual teacher. He is the universal
teacherhood who manifests in the form of
every other teacher. That is why we say Karyakarana. Every day we sing,
especially the devotees of Shri Ramakrishna.
The entire essence of the eighth verse is put in this Sarvamangala Mangalya,
especially in this second shloka, that means
Guna Shreya Guna Mai. Divine mother is consisting of three gunas,
Sattva, Rajas and Tamas and the duality is caused by
the interplay between Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. All the differentiations
is only because of these three qualities, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
But the divine mother is, she is Guna Ashaya. She is the substratum,
that means she is not affected. As Sri Ramakrishna so beautifully puts it,
the poison in a poisonous snake's mouth
doesn't affect the snake, so also the three gunas
do not affect the divine mother. Sri Ramakrishna used to call Brahman as the
my divine mother, so this divine mother is
beyond all the three gunas and when only her grace descends, we are
able to get out of this maya because maya is a statement of fact. A
statement of fact is nothing but the interplay between Sattva, Rajas and
Tamas and this getting out of this bondage is
possible only by the divine mother's grace.
Another meaning of the Guna, usually Guna means quality
and the final gunas or qualities are Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.
But another meaning of Guna is bondage. It is this bondage,
this is sweeter and that is more beautiful, that is more enjoyable,
that person is more friendly etc. etc. These are delusions caused because
there is no enemy, there is no inferior quality. The divine
mother alone is fully manifest as the Tamas,
as the Rajas and as Sattva in different proportions
according to the need as a Chichakthi Leela, this divine mother's sport.
Once we understand it and we can only understand it
only through the grace of the divine mother which comes in the form of
the teaching of our own Guru. If we have reverence for our Guru,
it is possible only to get rid of that maya.
Ultimately the Guru's grace, God's grace,
divine mother's grace, there is no difference,
they are one and the same. This is what is the essence.
Vishwam Pashyati Karya Karanataya, Saswami Sambandataha, Shishya Acharyataya,
Tatha Eva Pitru Putraadhyatmana, Bhedataha, Swapne Jagrativa.
Either in waking state or in dream state, only
this differentiation. There is no differentiation in the third
state called deep sleep or Sushupti state.
What happens? Esha Purushaha, this Paramatma
caught in the net of the three gunas and the three gunas
is called Maya. Maya Paribhramita, being whirled round and round in this
Brahma Chakra by the power of Maya which is the power of
Brahman. But there is a way out.
Tasmai Sri Gurumurthaye, Namaidham Sri Dakshinamurthaye.
Only by the grace. Categorically this Dakshinamurthi Stotram tells us
the grace of God is the only way. There is no other way. I'll just touch upon
one simple very important point of all these relationships. Karya Karana,
cause and effect relationship is the most important one.
But it is very difficult to understand that no
one single cause creates an effect. Take simple example. Then I will give
another example. You take a seed and put it in the soil
and then a plant seedling or plant comes out.
Immediately we jump to the conclusion that the seed is the cause
of this plant. Forgetting the seed is the main cause.
But if the seed doesn't come into touch with the soil,
soil is one cause. Right season is another cause.
Right amount of sunlight is another cause.
Right amount of cold or heat is another cause.
Right type of water is another cause. Right type of
enrichment or fertilizer of the soil is
another cause. And absence of enemies like
pests or animals is another cause. When all these subsidiary causes come,
then alone it is possible for the seed to become a plant. Forgetting all these
subsidiary causes, we simply home in on that one seed.
This is one example to understand what is about to come.
In Chandogya Upanishad, there's a beautiful illustration is there.
And this has come to us in the form of one Upasana.
It is called Panchagni Vidya or every Jeeva passes through five fires
and then only he is born as a male as a female child.
We simply we say this child is born out of the parents. But we do not
understand if these parents do not eat food, then
that child cannot be born. He is the Anna Rasa Mayaha,
the essence of the food. Food comes from the
earth and earth is made possible to become fertile
only because of the water. The water is made possible
only because of the sunlight. The sunlight is made possible because of the
Akasha or clouds and it is made possible only because of certain very harmonious
combinations. These are called Panchagni. There are many
causes but five in the form of cloud,
then rain, then food, then parents, then the husband and wife and only the
wife who becomes the mother is the Panchagni
or last Agni. So who is the cause of the Jeevatma?
Is it only the mother? No, it is father. Is it only the father?
No, it is the food. And is it only food? No, it is the Prithvi.
Is it only the earth? No, it is the water. And is the water comes from where?
From the, in the form of rain. The rain comes
in what form? Form of the cloud and the cloud is formed because of the
the effect of the sun. So many causes are there.
Similarly, what is the point? We are going to discuss it in the
ninth verse but I am going to give you a hint.
What is it?
So what is the cause of the Jeeva? Food. What is the cause of the food?
Earth. What is the cause of the earth? Water. What is the cause of the
water? Fire. What is the cause of the fire? Air.
What is the cause of the air? Akasha. What is the cause of Akasha?
Atma. That means what? We have all come from where?
From Atman. And if Atman is the real cause,
then what are we? Because remember that universal law,
the effect is nothing but the cause in a slightly different combination. That's
all. So that means we are all coming from,
entire universe is coming from only what? From
Atman himself and that beautiful truth, universal truth, we are not coming
from parents. We are coming from Paramatma. A puppy is
not coming from a dog. It is coming from Paramatma because
this is the Samya, similarity. Whether it is a human baby, a puppy
or a small fish or a microbe, whatever it is, finally they are made up
of what? Panchabhutas. The Panchabhutas come from
where? Atman and that is why the whole universe is
nothing but a combination of Panchabhutas and we are part of the
universe. We are also cause of the Panchabhutas
and the Panchabhutas are nothing but manifestations of the Atman
and so all differentiations will cease and there is a beautiful thought and I
will also put it here before we go to the next verse. Supposing
all the things that are born of this earth, if they have to be united,
they will be united in a subtler higher level
only if we identify them with the water and
if all the waters are traced to their cause which is
fire, then the unity becomes much more closer
and all the fire will be merged in air. Then the differentiation is much less
and then all the air is merged in Akasha. The differentiation is practically
indivisible. Just look at it. There are not two fires,
there are not two waters, there are not two earths.
As earth, it is one and universal. As water,
one and universal. As fire, it is one and universal.
As air, can you think of air? Can you divide it?
This is small air, this is big air, this is mother air,
this is father air and this is grandfather's air.
Air is one. The subtler level we go, every creature living, non-living,
everything becomes completely merged and the highest of that merging is
called Akasha and this Akasha is inert thing,
material thing, belongs to Prakruti, apparently, seemingly, not really.
But to understand the truth, we go to the
only one cause which is causeless cause, that is Atma or Paramatma and in
Paramatma, it is Akhanda, Nitya, Eka, Advaiteya.
In that description, there is no Prapancha, there is no Nama,
then no name, no form, no utility, no low, no high,
no cause and effect, everything is transcended
in that Paramatma. This entire eighth verse
is devoted only when out of His grace, the God comes in the form of a
teacher and says, if you realize that the duality first of
all is a complete falsity, the duality is
caused by Maya and Maya is nothing but manifesting in the
form of Panchabhutas and if you understand, if you go beyond
the Panchabhutas, five elements, then what remains is the
indescribable Paramatma. This is another angle of viewing,
all the differentiations. The important point is
as we merge, the gross into the subtle, the differentiation, a lot of
differentiation becomes less and that subtle is merged in its cause
which is still subtler, then the differentiation
becomes much less, much more pervading, much subtler
and much more harmonious and in Paramatma, Brahman,
all the differentiations completely become merged
even at the level of air or Akasha. That's why Akasha Dhyana is taken for
meditation because it is the nearest to the Atman.
It is the nearest manifestation of the Atman
and it is nearest in similarities to the Atman.
That's why Akasha Dhyana is very much advocated. Akasha is infinite, Akasha is
completely unattached, Akasha is indivisible
and Akasha doesn't undergo any type of change.
If we can understand Akasha in this manner,
it would be a little more help in understanding the
Paramatman and why am I talking about all these things?
Because how to get the grace of God? Without the grace of God, this division,
this Veda, this Maya, Maya means Veda. Swami Vivekananda gives the most
marvelous definition of Maya. Maya is a statement of fact.
What is a statement of fact? We see each other
as completely different from each other, experience, forge relationships, positive
or negative or neutral and go on experiencing pain or
pleasure or a neutral state. This is Maya. But
there is existential suffering which we can never get rid of it
through any one of these things, only by the grace of God.
And how does the grace of God come? By meditating
upon God, by contemplating upon God, by praying to God, by modifying our
behavior as if what we are seeing is nothing but
God. How is this to be achieved? Well, here is one of the most marvelous
Upasanas that is maintained in the ninth verse
and one more point that there are two types of creations.
One is called Ishwara Srishti, another is called Jeeva Srishti.
The five elements which are the basic cause of the entire universe
including the living and non-living is called Ishwara Srishti,
creation of God or God manifesting through Maya
in the form of five elements and Jeeva Srishti means
when we interact with this Ishwara Srishti
because of the layers of our own mentality,
we see the same Ishwara Srishti in myriad forms. So what is the point?
These are called technically, there are two names for this.
This is called Srishti Drishti Vada and Drishti Srishti Vada.
A theory that God has Ishwara Srishti, God created everything.
Remember creation means manifesting not like a potter
separately creating something called pot which is totally different from him.
It is more like the milk trying to transform itself into curds
or even better the rope trying to appear because of the semi-darkness as snake.
It is called Vivartavada. But each one of us as I mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita class,
we are the Brahmans, we create our own world,
we live in our own world, a child's world for example,
a youth's world, old person's world, man's world,
woman's world, rich person's world, poor person's world,
guru's world, sishya's world, everything is totally different from each other.
There is some similarity is there for practical purposes
but for every living purpose we are living in our own world,
perceive things in our own peculiar what is called dimmed visions
and then we act and react and that is caused by maya
and maya means sattva, rajas and tamas. The only way is
to get out of it or to put it in simple words
to discard the drishti srishti vada, to discard, to get out of jiva srishti
and enter into Ishwara srishti, srishti drishti vada
as it is that is the spiritual sadhana.
In other words this Ishwara is only manifesting
in the form of the entire universe that is called
Ishwara srishti vada and to see that Ishwara
whatever experience we have through our five sense organs
that is called living in Ishwara srishti and not in jiva srishti and to do that
we will have to contemplate God and which is coming in a very beautiful
way which we are going to study in the ninth
verse and until we do that
Let me summarize the eighth verse. Maya is duality,
duality is relationships, reality is one
ekam eva dvitiyam. Maya, reality, relationships. This has to be
overcome and what is the way? Realization of reality
and that knowledge that everything is one
there is no difference. Sarvam khalvidam brahma
is available only through God's Dakshinamurthy's
Guru's grace. This is the essence of the eighth verse in Dakshinamurthy's stotram.
svasvami sambandhata shishya acharyataya
tathaiva pitru putra dhyatmana bhedataha
swapne jagrativa yah esha purusho maya paribhramitaha
tasmai sri gurumurthaye namah itam sri dakshinamurthaye
He who is the purusha whirling in maya sees the world in terms of cause and
effect diversely related as possessor and
possession father and son teacher and taught both in
the state of waking and dream but which can be broken by the grace of
God to him that divine teacher manifesting in
the form of my own Guru to that universal teacher Dakshinamurthy
I am prostrating I am begging him please give me
that knowledge. Now I'll give a short introduction
to this ninth verse which is practically the last verse there. Dakshinamurthy it is
called Ashtakam. Ashtakam means consisting of
eight verses but even though it is there Shankaracharya seems to have added
or we are not 100% sure somebody someone
another Shankaracharya in his parampara might have added this
but it is not really bad thing it is one of the most wonderful things
how to get out of maya by the grace of God
how to obtain God's grace through bhakti how to get bhakti
through upasana or contemplation of Ishwara
this is the essence of this ninth verse we have to do sadhana
in the form of upasana. Upasana the word is very beautiful
upa means near asana means the effort to come nearer and nearer
until we become one with what we contemplate upon
in other words to become Brahman and every Jignasu
every aspiring spiritual person helps this Bhagawan or Guru
helps to consume the ego leaving the Atman in all its glory
what does Guru do he reduces the ahankara
he reduces the differentiation because what
what constructs the difference ahankara that's why ahankara is called maya
Ramakrishna says you take a stick and put it
in a stream immediately the stream appears to be
left side of the stream right side of the stream this side of the stream
that side of the stream etc or if you wish
suppose there is a bridge this side of the bridge that side of the bridge
etc we say so one may ask what is the advantage of knowing the truth
about the Atman because truth is it know the truth
and the truth will make you free by knowing truth ignorance is cast
away Sureshwaracharya about whom i mentioned in
the first class who wrote a beautiful commentary called
Manaso Lasa in about 142 verses or so this Sureshwaracharya
introduces this ninth verse of the Dakshinamurthy Stotram
with a preface like this
somebody might ask the Guruji how can this kind of
maya that manifests in the form of relationships
and differentiations be destroyed forever and Sureshwara says
the way to do that what is it
and that is praised very much it is to meditate upon
Ishwara and this how to meditate on Ishwara
is explained in the ninth verse of the Dakshinamurthy Stotram
Maya was described in the earlier verses
in a greater detail in the form of Jagrat Swapna and Sushupti
it is shown that all our understanding of ourselves
and of the world is an illusion in the same way
we need the help of Shastra and especially of Acharya
to destroy this Maya and to gain the knowledge from the scripture
only with the help of the teacher this is called Sampradaya
and to own up that knowledge that means everything is Brahman
we need the grace of Ishwara here comes the role of Upasana
to know the reality which is none other than Brahman
we have to neutralize Ahamkara what is the problem
Ahamkara what creates the difference Ahamkara
Ahamkara Prahlada's story Hiranyakashipu's Ahamkara
makes it him different from Narayana and as if Narayana is
hidden by his Ahamkara as soon as that pillar
which is which symbolizes the Ahamkara of Hiranyakashipu
is destroyed by the grace of God in the form of Acharya
who is the Acharya Prahlada was the Acharya
in the case of Hiranyakashipu and then immediately
he realizes I am that God this Ugranara Simha Moti
coming out and swallowing Hiranyakashipu
is to destroy the ego and making that Jeeva Bhava is completely removed
and then Hiranyakashipu knows that I am Brahman
this is the inner symbolism worship or meditation upon God
requires an altar of Ishwara this ninth verse
presents us with an altar which is closest to
and the best representative of the supreme reality
the Brahman the verse goes like this and this is for Upasana
not only that this is the highest knowledge every Jeevan Muktha
sees everything as Brahman everything is divided into
what we call is seven categories the whole universe is divided into
seven categories which are finally classified as five categories
Panchabhutas
what a beautiful shloka
the divine teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy and we have to understand
who is manifesting in the form of our own teacher
is this frustration what a beautiful thing we are talking about Panchabhutas
the whole universe is what in the 13th chapter
Prakruti and Purusha and whatever is born
is nothing but a combination of Prakruti and Purusha
that is what we are going to discuss very soon in our next Bhagavad Gita class
after a few minutes but here this so much of
relationship is there between Dakshinamurthy Stotram
especially this particular verse and the
end of the 13th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita
Bhumi first is Bhu we know five elements
the whole universe is consisting of five elements
what is the process to manifestation Bhumi
Bhu Ambasi Ambaha means water then water Prithvi and Jala this is Jala
Analaha Analaha Na Alam that means sufficient if you go on
pouring petrol into fire and instead of putting it
out you only increase it the more fire burns
the more it wants food it is never satisfied
so Alam it is enough a fire never says it is enough that is why
it is called Na Alaha Analaha
then the air is called Anilaha Nila means Nilaya
Nilaya means a particular place where it can
reside the air is everywhere and everywhere is its residing place
so that element which doesn't have any particular place
that means it is pervading everywhere that is called
Anilaha so do not get confused between Analaha
and Anilaha Analaha means never satisfied
I want more and more to burn Anilaha means that which doesn't have a special
place of residence that means it is everywhere
how many we have discussed now then four then
Ambara Ambara means Akasha that's why Digambara
Nilambara Pitambara Krishna is called what Pitambara
that means yellow cloth is there and Digambara
means what the whole nature is his cloth to cover all the four
directions so Bhumi then Ambasi water Jala
then Analaha Agni or Tejas then Anilaha Vayu then Ambaraha Akasha
five elements we have discussed then Aharnadaha
a manifestation of a special manifestation
which makes life possible which makes death also possible
remember that sun and moon are the manifestations
through which life and death play is going on both are going on
Aharnadaha means the master and Ahaha means
daylight so the one who is the master of the day
who makes the day who makes every creature
active because of the light that he throws
he in other words the sun and then what is the next one
moon what is moon it is said that for life not only the sun is necessary
the moon is also very necessary in fact all the Voshadis become very effective
only because of the moon and in the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad
Gita specially he says
the moon strengthens gives so much of nutrition
to every Voshadi
in the form of eye if there is a tremendous
sweet Rasa in the sweetest mango that is not only because of the sun
because of the especially moon the Rasa is produced because of the
moon only the mango is grown because of the
sun only Aharnadaha Himaangshu
Angshu means rise Hima means cool so moonlight always cools the sunlight
gives us relief that's why it's called Himaangshu
these are the seven five elements the sun and the moon belongs to the
Prakruti and what is the Purusha Puman means Purushaha
Iti Abhati Characharatmakam Idam
Charachara moving unmoving Idam this entire Jagat
Yasyayivam Murthyashtakam these are the eight fold five of the elements
the sun the moon seven plus that pure consciousness
reflecting as Jeevatma or Siddhavasa these eight elements that divine Brahman
is manifesting in this world in the form of the
eight elements Prakruti and Purusha
Nanyat Kinchana Vidyate Vimrushitam
those who are intelligent capable of discriminating
besides this Brahman nothing else exists at all
Asmat Parasmat besides that supreme reality
Na Anyat Kinchana Vidyate that means only Brahman
in the form of these eight elements is sporting
in the form of this Jagat is a combination of
Purusha and Prakruti and if we can realize it
that is called Brahma Leela and this knowledge that
what I am experiencing through my sense organs
through my five sense organs and plus the mind
is nothing but that Brahman in the form of
the Jeevatma plus the seven fold elements
and that knowledge comes only by the grace of
divine Lord in the form of our own Guru
Asmai Sri Gurumurthy Namai Damsri Dakshinamurthy
He whose eightfold forms are the earth, water, fire, air, ether, sun,
moon and the Jeeva and who manifests himself
as this universe consisting of both the movable
immovable objects and besides which the supreme
all-pervading Lord there exists nothing to those who reflect well to him
who gives this knowledge that this universe is nothing but Brahman
what we are experiencing is nothing but God this is called seeing God everything
and this is what is expressed in the first mantra of Isavasya Upanishad
to that divine teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy
is this presentation we will conclude with a little elaboration
and then the 10th shloka is called Phalashruti what
results will come by the continuous recitation of this Dakshinamurthy Stotram
with Bhakti and Shraddha we will conclude on our Thursday class
Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum
Pahad Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Muhur Muhur
May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti