View source for Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 20 on 07 May 2023

== Full Transcript(Not Corrected) ==
Om Jananem Sharadam Devem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum
Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Muhur Muhu
Om Sahana Vavatu Sahanao Bhunaktu
Sahaveeryam Karavavahai Tejasvinavaditamastumavidvishavahai
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hare Om
So we have been discussing the twelfth mantra in the third chapter of the Shweta Shwetara
Punshad where a beautiful gift is being discussed. Evolution is a process by which we are slowly
approaching God and how does it mean? There is a biological evolution and human birth
is the peak of this biological evolution but from that time onwards. So the first evolution
will be internal evolution which is called moral evolution that is what I call horizontal
evolution. When we try to become Dharmic, unselfish, moral what it means is we like to identify
ourselves with everybody and slowly whatever actions we do we try to perform in the spirit
of Igna. This is called Karma Yoga and this Karma Yoga slowly brings in the grace of God
and that grace of God what does it do? It refines our buddhi, our capacity, our instrument
called buddhi. Buddhi is the instrument for understanding. If the buddhi is Tamasika
buddhi which we have seen in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. If it is Tamasika buddhi
that what is Dharma is understood as Adharma. Adharma is understood as Dharma and Dharma
is understood as Adharma. Completely opposite understanding, wrong understanding. But when
the same buddhi in course of time becomes more and more Rajasic and progressing more and more
towards Sattva then slowly as if a train is travelling. We are travelling in a train
in a tunnel and it is a long tunnel and slowly the train is approaching one end of the tunnel
and slowly very faint light and a little more time the light becomes more and still more.
So like that the buddhi, the right understanding from this Tamoguna and then again from this Rajoguna
it becomes clearer and clearer and the clearer it gets the more Sattvika it is called
is called and the more Sattvika it becomes the understanding becomes approaching perfection.
But this Sattvaguna also brings us to God. That is why in the Bhagavad Gita in the 14th chapter
two characteristics of Sattvaguna are given. One is Gnanam, another is Sukham. Sukham and Gnanam
the proportionately the Gnanam increases and proportionately happiness also increases.
So that is the result of the growth of Sattvaguna and when the buddhi becomes a Sattvik,
Dhriti becomes a Sattvik, Karma becomes Sattvik, our attitude becomes Sattvik,
our mind becomes Sattvik, the entire life becomes Sattvik. That means we perceive the divine
more and still more and still more. But that is a gift of God or to be more precise God is
manifesting in the form of Tamoguna. God manifests in the form of Rajoguna. Again God also manifests in
the form of Sattvaguna. But we have to extend our hand. We have to lend as if a lending hand to God
then he will pull us. The action of pulling is done by God. But our part is to extend our hand
so that God will be able to grasp our hand and pull us towards himself. That idea is expressed
here. Mahan Prabhurvai Purushaha. This Purusha also called Brahman, also called Rudra, also called
Shiva. He is called Purusha. Purusha means he who is everywhere. And he is Mahan. There is nobody
greater than him. And he is Prabhu. That means he is the ruler. That means he is the creator.
And what does he do when we behave according to his dictations? And what are his dictations?
How do they come? In the form of the scriptures. For example, for every devotee of Sri Ramakrishna,
the gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is the word of God. If Sri Ramakrishna is God then his words are
scriptures. For every devotee he will have to follow what is taught in the gospel. This is what
God is commanding. And that is why he is called Prabhu. And as we obey him, he becomes more and
more available, manifest in our minds. This is what is called Sattvasya Eshaha Pravartakaha.
Eshaha means that same divine Lord. He manifests. Pravartakaha means grants. But here he manifests
more and more in the form of Sattva Guna. In any case, God is being manifest in us
in either Tamoguna or Rajoguna or Sattva Guna. But as we are progressing in life,
as we are surrendering ourselves more and more, as our selfishness becomes less and less,
as we are becoming more and more unselfish, then Sattva Guna is increasing. Sunirmulam Imam
Praptim. And what is this Sattva Guna? It is Sunirmula. That means absolutely pure,
without any stain. Because right understanding is the root cause of our behaviour. Even if
somebody is drinking poison, he is not doing it deliberately, but he thinks genuinely that
this is a good thing for me to do. And that buddhi is acquired by him as much as he strives
to reach towards God or running away from God. So Imam Sunirmulam Sattva Gunam Praptim.
This is available only by the grace of God. And he is Ishanaha. He is the ruler of Sattva, Tamas
and Rajas. What does it mean? It means the whole universe. We can see the whole universe. Many
models are given. One model is called Pancha Bhuta model. The whole Jagat is nothing but
the manifestation of Pancha Bhutas as Nama, Rupa and Guna. Or another model is Sattva Guna,
Raja Guna, Tama Guna. And this idea also we get in the Bhagavad Gita so beautifully that there is
no creature, the Lord says, there is no creature which is created, which is born. And it is born
out of a combination of these three Gunas. And there cannot be any creature outside these three
Gunas. This is another model. What is this model? The whole universe is nothing but manifestation of
a combination of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. And who is manifesting? The Divine Lord.
So, when a person, when we find a person, for example, he is overcome by anger and anger rules
him. So who is ruling? Tama Guna is ruling. Who is ruling? God in the form of Tama Guna is ruling.
When a person is very restless and doing so many things, how is he ruling? Through Raja Guna.
And what is Raja Guna? Prakruti. And what is Prakruti? Ishwara. So Ishwara is only ruling
and that Ishwara here is called Ishanaha. And Ishwara is full of Jyoti. But even though
temporarily he is ruling us in the form of Tama Guna, Raja Guna, but he is eliminating
the results of the Tama Guna. He is eliminating the results of the Raja Guna. How do we know?
Because when we are under the control of the Tama Guna, inevitable suffering, consequences,
then it will awaken us. Because none of us want to be unhappy. So that makes us move towards
Raja Guna. Travel towards Raja Guna. Then we get a mixed result. Sometimes happy, sometimes unhappy.
And then we see we don't want to be unhappy. We want to be happy all the time. Then we understand
I am being ruled by Raja Guna and this Raja Guna has to be slowly overcome by what? By Sattva Guna.
So that is how evolution takes place. But who is Sattva Guna? Ishwara. Who is Raja Guna?
Ishwara. Who is Tama Guna? Ishwara. So I am trying to clarify some of the doubts.
How can Tama Guna be Ishwara? Sattva Guna, yes we can understand. But Raja Guna and Tama Guna,
we may not understand. But you see, every Guna is a marvelous in its own place. Everybody is great
in his own place. That's why this is the greatest secret. Swami Vivekananda says,
what is called cleaner, street cleaner or a lavatory cleaner is great in his own place.
Ask a king to do that job, he may not be able to do it. Ask Shri Ramakrishna, he will be able to do
it. Why? Because he can identify with any Guna. But ask the lavatory cleaner to rule the kingdom,
to take on the work of either a prime minister or commander-in-chief or the place of the king,
he will be a terrible failure. The king will be a terrible failure. Each is great in his own place.
Similarly, all Gunas are great in their own place. Many times I have mentioned this one,
but just to remind ourselves, when we want to sleep, Tama Guna is the best Guna.
When we want to drive a car, Raja Guna is the best Guna. Not when we want to hear
Swami Dayatmananda's class. That is not good. Tama Guna is of course not good
and Raja Guna is also not good. You will be missing a lot of points. Like that fellow
who heard this entire Ramayana and towards the end when questioned, did you understand?
He said, I understood everything excepting two things. So, I don't know who is Rama,
who is Sita. Excepting these two, I understood the entire Ramayana.
So, Raja Guna is very good. Well, whatever job we are trying to do. But Satva Guna is very good,
especially when we want to meditate, when we want to contemplate. Because our nature is,
we have become habituated, when we close our eyes to think, most likely we go to sleep.
But if we can keep ourselves completely awake, keep the mind absolutely calm and dive deep
into deep thinking, that would be the best thing. This is how Ishwara rules through each of the
Gunas. Every Guna is good, but every Guna is bad in the place of the other Gunas.
And who is eliminating that I am in Tamo Guna, I am in the Raja Guna, I am the sleeper,
I am the active person and I am the meditator, I am the student of the scriptures. That is called
Jyoti. That is why God is called Jyoti Rajyoti. Even to see the sun, the moon, the stars, the fire,
we require our awareness. That pure awareness is here mentioned as Jyotihi and that Ishwara
is Avyaya. Avyaya means he is awake during the waking state, he is awake during the dream state,
witnessing I am going through this dream state. And he is of course there throughout the deep
sleep state, I am the sleeper. Our own experience proves it that whenever we wake up, we say I
slept. Even for a millisecond, we don't say somebody else has come and slept in my place,
I was tired of sleeping, so somebody came and slept in my place. So this is how God inspires
that Sattva Guna and as he inspires Sattva Guna, he becomes manifest. He himself inspires the Sattva
Guna and he himself manifests as Sattva Guna and he himself manifests as Jyoti. He himself manifests
as the Parabrahma. That is why every day we are supposed to pray to the same divine, looking at
the Sun, Savita, that Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodaya and this mantra is explaining the inner significance
of the Gayatri Mantra. He is the Chodanakarta, he is the inspirer, he is the manifester of the Gunas
and what do we need? We need all the three Gunas. When we want to sleep, don't ever say
we want only Sattva Guna. You know what happens? You won't be able to drive properly and you won't
be able to sleep also properly. There was a funny incident. This anecdote has been told about Swami
Prabhavananda. He also thought now I'm in America, I must learn how to drive and he was one of
probably not a very good driver. So an anecdote is told that he lost control while driving
and when he understood. So that is when Sattva Guna came to him. He sat in Padmasana and he said
Maharaj, Maharaj, Maharaj, Maharaj, Maharaj. His Guru. Of course, safely the car crashed against
a tree and so many times it happened it seems. So once he was taken by the police to the court
and the judge was dealing with other cases. Earlier cases were dismissed. Next case and there was a
clerk who said Swami Prabhavananda versus bad driving and the judge looked at the Swami and
said, oh our old customer, let him go free. Anyway, now he has come to harm but when we are driving,
we have to not give trouble to God. Shri Ramakrishna gives a beautiful illustration.
Once three friends were walking in a solitary place in a forest like that and suddenly a hungry
tiger started chasing them and then one of them said that I am done for. There is no way. I am
going to die. He sat down but the other two started running away and then one person started praying
to God. Oh Lord, please come and save me etc. And the third person, he said you stupid fellows,
you don't need to do anything. Here is a tree. Let us climb. The tiger will take a few seconds
more before it reaches us. We can safely climb the tree. Shri Ramakrishna having given this story
is illustrating the person who said that God has avoided the tiger and God's power in chasing us
is also God's power and we are being chased. That is also God's will. But he provided a tree.
That is also God's will. So let us not trouble God under the circumstances. Who was the first person?
He was an Aasthika. I have no help. I am going to die. Who was the second person? An immature
devotee. Let us pray to God. He will save us. Who was the third person? He was a mature devotee.
Parabhakta. And he said, why do you want to trouble? Suppose there was no tree,
then we have to pray. So the first person represents Tamoguna, the second person represents
the Rajoguna and the third person represents the Satvaguna. So God has given us a body, a mind
and these beautiful glasses are there. So we must sit and do our level best. But how much we do?
Sometimes what is called too much of doing, sometimes too less of doing. How to bring
about a balance? And that is also the quality of Satvaguna. Not to do too much, not to do too less
but the right proportion. Everything right proportion. Who is telling? Bhagavan Krishna.
Where is he telling?
Yukta ahara viharasya, yukta chestasya karmasu, yukta svapna avabodhasya. Then only yogo bhavati dukkhaha.
So one has to have balanced ahara. Vihara means what? Relaxation. Not too much, not too less
but the right proportion. And yukta chestasya karmasu and activities. If they are too much,
they will make us more rajasic, distract our mind, make the mind restless. Too less, we become tamasic,
time hangs heavy. That is also counter effective, counter productive but the right type of thing.
Yukta svapna avabodha. How much time we have to use in the jagrata avastha because nowadays
with the help of electricity we can extend our jagrata avastha and how much we have to sleep.
Less sleep, next day we will be sleeping either while driving. Many accidents happen because a
person is deprived of either sleep or some events have taken place where there is too much worry,
too much of excitement, whatever but the mind is distracted. So proper amount of waking up,
proper amount of dreaming and that has a deep meaning. Not only the time that we spend in
dreaming but what content we are dreaming about that depends upon what foundation we lay in our
waking state. For example, a school boy, school girl, they want to read nightmarish books just
before sleep. Why don't you read at daytime? Then nightmares will not happen. No, but you know,
they want their heart to beat. They want to see the ghosts coming to gobble them up or some wild
animals etc. So they want to read. Naturally what they read that can affect us. But when Naga
Mahasaya used to hear the stories of Gods and Goddesses from the Puranas from the mouth of his
aunt, he used to go with those thoughts and he used to dream of Gods and Goddesses whole night
and early morning he used to come and tell, I have dreamt of this God, this Goddess and his aunt
who told these stories used to wonder, how come I never see these things? Because our mind is,
our heart is not in the stories of Gods and Goddesses, it is somewhere else. That is why it
is said that morning we have to read how to develop spiritual life, how to progress in spiritual life,
how to develop devotion. A senior Swami advised, morning you read the stories of women being
kidnapped and noon you read the stories of gambling and night the stories of stealing etc.
And the devotee could not understand as usual. So the Swami explained, you dull headed fellow,
morning you read Ramayana. Ramayana is the story of Sita and noon you read Mahabharata, never at
night otherwise Bhima Sena will come in your dream and make you chutney like he did to Kichaka. So
read, there are many wonderful things. But at night before going you read the stories of Bhagavan
Krishna lying, stealing etc. So that is called Leela. There is a good chance that we may dream of
Bhagavan Krishna and if you do day after day, I can guarantee you, you will definitely dream of
Gods and Goddesses. Many times your understanding of the scriptures become more clarified. Many
times future events are also foretold in the dreams. It is a wonderful state, this dream state.
I have spoken of it so many times. So in this 12th mantra, it is said that you pray to God,
may you enlighten our intellect. He will make our buddhi, He will grant us buddhi in what form?
When I grant this buddhi, right buddhi, right understanding and what is right understanding?
That which brings people to me, that is called right understanding and I am the grantor of that
understanding and I will get that understanding. So this is the nature of Divine Lord. Now where
is the place where the Lord has to be contacted? That is being described in the mantra 13.
The Self is revealed in the heart and the heart is called a cave, buddhi guha, buddhi and how?
Through discrimination and contemplation. How do we understand? We have to exercise
the God-given gift called trying to think deeply and this deep thinking has certain
conditions to be fulfilled if it has to be effective. What is the condition? First is
we should not be distracted. Second is we should have the discrimination. That is why
when we try to discriminate without a scriptural background or perhaps a scientist also uses this
discriminative faculty. That is not what is being taught here. Discriminating means that the only
reality is God. Everything else should lead us towards that and that is where to obtain God
or where to contact God and how we are supposed to grasp Him because the grasping instruments
are also given by God. The place where we have to contemplate Him is also given by God. That is
being described here and this is a reflection exactly with a slight difference in the Kata
Upanishad also we get the same mantra. So 13 Mantra, Angushta Matrah Purushah Antaratma
Sada Jananam Hridaye Sannivistah Hridah Manisha Manasah Avikluptah Ya Etadviduh Amrutah Te Bhavanti
The whole mantra can be divided into three parts. The first part tells that where to meditate,
contemplate upon that Divine Lord so graphically described in many mantras earlier. Secondly,
by what instruments, through which instruments we have to grasp, we have to come nearer and nearer
to that Lord and what is the result of contemplating, meditating, doing Upasana upon this
Divine Lord. The first part of the mantra is describing where we have to catch hold of the
Lord. The second half of the second line, the first part, first half of the line is describing
how one has to do the contemplation and the third part is telling what is the result.
So Angushta Matrah Purushah Antaratma Sada Jananam Hridaye Sannivistah
Assuming the form of the size of a thumb, by virtue of intellect, emotion, imagination and
will, the infinite being dwells in the hearts of creatures as their inner self. Those who realize
this become immortal. As I said, three parts. What is the first part? First of all, we have to find
out our trying to understand that as if there is a place and that place is called Hridaya and or
Hridaya Guha, that is a cave of the heart or Buddhi Guha, cave of the intellect. And there,
how to think of Him? Angushta Matrah. What is the size of the Divine Lord? He is of the size of a
thumb. But is He the size of the thumb? No. He who is infinite cannot be the size of the thumb.
That is being clarified. Purushaha is the all-pervading one. Purnat Purushaha. He who is
everywhere is called Purushaha. And He is Antaratma. That is what we call I. He is manifesting in the
form of our inner self. Antaha Atma Antaratma. That means you don't need to go anywhere. You
don't need to go to Mecca. You don't need to go to Kashi. So you don't need to go anywhere.
So Mecca, Kashi, all these places are not necessary. And the same beautiful idea has been
described in a Bengali song also, that when I think of the Divine Mother,
so Kashi, Kanchi, Gaya, Ganga, Prabhasa. So my Divine Mother's feet is Kashi, Kanchi, Gaya, Ganga
and Prabhasa Terta. Everything is that one. So I don't need to go anywhere. Everything is here.
There is a beautiful incident in the life of Thakur. And when Shri Ram Krishna was very seriously ill
at Kashipur Garden House, Swami Vekananda took some of his brother disciples and went to Bodh Gaya.
He wanted to meditate there and some other devotees. And they became a bit sad, maybe a bit
jealous also. And they came and complained, you are here in this condition. And they went there.
Perhaps Shri Ram Krishna wanted to console them, remove their jealousy. You see, even how much
trouble Shri Ram Krishna had to go. People become hurt. People become jealous. His own gurus have
become jealous and some of his disciples excepting Swami Vekananda and a few other disciples. They
never became jealous. Swamiji said, I was never troubled by jealousy. Naturally, because nobody
can be compared to Swami Vekananda. Anyway, these people went. Ram Krishna was showing. He was not
even capable of talking very clearly. He said that those who have it here, pointing to his heart,
they get everything. And those who do not have it here, they do not have it anywhere else.
What was Shri Ram Krishna trying to tell? Two meanings are given by the direct disciples themselves.
The first meaning is referring to Shri Ram Krishna as an incarnation. Another is referring to
one's own heart. What is the second meaning? First, I will give you those who have devotion
towards the Lord. They need not go anywhere because the Divine Lord is the Lord who is in
Kashi, Kailasa, Kashi, Rameshwara. He is right in my heart only. And if I don't have devotion,
I may go anywhere. I see only an inert deity. I don't see anything because the seeing capacity
depends upon my heart, my development. This is one meaning. But the first meaning is Shri Ram
Krishna is the center of all spirituality. If anybody has devotion to Shri Ram Krishna,
all the Tirthas are manifest in Shri Ram Krishna. And if somebody has no devotion to Shri Ram
Krishna, they may go anywhere, but they may not gain anything. But the thing is, it is not to
condemn going on pilgrimage, but it is to say first to develop some amount of devotion, faith,
and then if we go on pilgrimage, that will be very useful. I also remember a beautiful Zen story.
There was a Zen Buddhist master who was there. He had a disciple and he was with his master
for more than 50 years. And other disciples were given permission by his Guru to go and
establish their own monasteries and train their own disciples. But this disciple was not allowed.
So he felt hurt. One day he came to his master and said, so should I not also start my own monastery?
You have not said anything about it. And the Guru, who knows everything, he smiled. He said,
do one thing. Definitely you can have your own monastery, but before that I want you to do
something. And then he gave him a bitter fruit, something like bitter gold and said, carry it
and wherever you go, whichever pilgrimages you go and you also pour some water on it.
If there are rivers, see that as you take a dip yourself, let this also take a dip.
And then after a few months, the disciple, in accordance to his wish, wherever he was taking a
dip, he was also making this bitter gold take a dip, came back and then I have obeyed your
commandments. Fine. Now let us cook that vegetable and eat it. And then still the disciple did not
understand. So the vegetable was cooked and it was served. It was exactly as bitter as if it had
not gone a pilgrimage. Then even then, I think the disciple did not get the meaning. Then the
master explained, my son, that just as this vegetable has gone on a pilgrimage, but no change
has taken place. The purpose of visiting pilgrimage is to bring a change about in our heart, in our
character. So if your character is not changed, you have not developed spiritually, you are trying
to establish your own monastery. Do you know how it becomes? Andhenaiva niyamana yathandhaha.
I remember these stories because this heart is a grand place for meditation. That heart is being
described here and whatever is inside that heart. When, for example, you are thinking of, say, Ramakrishna
in your heart, is he within the heart or is the heart within Ramakrishna? Usually our heart is
small and within that heart we imagine Ramakrishna. So if you have to put any object in your room,
it must be smaller than your room. So this smallness is not the characteristic of the
infinity, but it is for the sake of meditation. You have to imagine like that. Later on this
imagination gets expanded. Then we will come to a right understanding of what is infinity,
what is all-pervading. So angushta matraha and he is this all-pervading and antaratma. There is that
atma within your own self. What does it mean? You do not need to go anywhere because right he is
within you. Mokko kahan dhoondere bandhe. Mai to tere paasme hoon. Sada. When? Does he come and go?
No. For all time. Jananam hridaye sannivistaha. He is always there in the hearts, in the caves of
the hearts of his devotees. So there you think of him as a jyoti, as described earlier. Jyoti,
isha naha, purushaha, etc. This is the first part. Then how to think of him? Hridha manisha
manasa avikalupthaha. Avikalupthaha means you must think of him in the right way. Grasp him
as if you are binding him. Shri Ramakrishna gives an example. There was a man, I think it may be
Radharani. Radharani wanted Krishna to be always with her. So she painted a picture of full Krishna
and then as soon as, now where will you go? Unfortunately, she painted Krishna with legs.
So immediately he went out of the picture, ran away. Next time, immediately she painted another
picture. This time, Krishna without any feet. Now you try to run away. Where can he run away?
That means Hridha. With all your devotion that the Hrid or Hridaya is representative of
our emotions, our bhakti. Manisha. Manisha represents a clarified intellect. That is,
the intellect should be able to grasp in the clearest manner that is possible with the help
of two things. What are those two things? One is the Guru, another is the scripture.
In fact, they are not two. The scripture as explained by the Guru, we have to believe in it
and this is how the Lord is, as we are discussing in the Svetasvatara Upanishad,
that is scriptural teaching. That is what the teacher tells you, maybe with a clarified
understanding, simplest understanding according to your capacity, to our capacity. This is how
Manisha means crystal clear understanding, prevent all wrong understanding. One is through Hridaya,
another is through the intellect, another is Manasa. What is that big deal of difference?
Here Manasa means every thought, every imagination, every wish, every thought that arises
should be connected with Bhagavan Himself. That is what we will see in the other mantras very soon.
So Manasa, Avikalruptaha, as if grasped by these three, by emotion, by intellect and by all the
thoughts, where can God go? That means you think of only God, you imagine God and you remember
that this is what the scripture is telling, this is what Guru is telling me and catch hold of the
feet and say, I will not let you go. And this is how we have to meditate through emotion,
with complete faith, with crystal clear understanding. This is the highest truth.
And Shama, Dama, Titiksha, Uparati, Shraddha, Samadhana, all this what we call Sadhana,
Chatushtaya, Sampatthi and with Viveka and Vairagya, then what happens? Our Mumukshottam
will increase by the day according to our Sadhana. And what happens? That Sadhana with all these
things, ya etad viduhu, those who practice this, their understanding becomes clear, they become
people of knowledge, those who know and ultimately what do they become? Amrutahate bhavanti.
So they become what is called Amrutah. One caution here, the heart does not mean
that the physical heart, but it is a spiritual heart and it is what we call the fourth Chakra,
that is Muladhara and between Sahasrara and Muladhara. These are seven Chakras,
what you call the Hridaya Anahata Chakra and that is called spiritual heart. Ramakrishna used to say
that whenever you are moved by emotion, your hands, your fingers, if they come, you touch your heart,
you don't touch the left side of the physical heart, which is on the left side of the chest,
but smack in the middle of the chest, but it has nothing to do with body and say this is where
spiritual heart is. Spiritual heart is everywhere throughout the whole universe, but that is felt
in a particular place and the response comes through the physical heart. So in the middle
of the chest we point out and in this connection I have to tell when I am hungry, when somebody is
hungry, usually the hands etc. they move towards the stomach unconsciously and when they are having
other kinds of emotions, the hands etc. automatically naturally move towards that part of the body
just like when something is itching, automatically your hands move to that place. This mental itching
is what the yogis call, automatically blood gathers there and that is how we can see most of
the time a fellow's hand is on his stomach, that means he is a glutton or vice versa. So many other
things we can see like that. So it is not the physical heart, it means even though God is
everywhere, is infinite, is available right here and now within our hearts. Heart means where we
feel him. So the beauty is that God is present in all of us, within we don't need to go anywhere
and a person who understands this or a person who doesn't understand this, he goes on to so many
places and in Sanskrit Vedanta we call him Bahudaka, a person who moves from place to place
and a sanyasi especially and a person who understands God is in one place, he is called
Kutichaka, he confines himself to that particular place. Then mantra 14, the idea that God is
everything and God is beyond what we see, what Sri Ramakrishna used to say, he is with form,
he is without form and he is beyond both form and formlessness. He is with action, he is actionless,
he is beyond both action and actionlessness. He is with name, he is beyond name and he is also
both name and then beyond name, beyond also namelessness. So he is beyond everything because
this whether it is light or darkness, finite or infinite, good or evil, this is called Dwandwa,
one cannot be understood without the other. For example, we cannot understand what is darkness
without light, we cannot understand without darkness even what is called light. Without
darkness we cannot understand what is dark. So if there were to be only good people in this world,
we will never know who is a good person. That is the fact of life. That is why he manifests
as Dwandwa and he is also Dwandwatita. He is beyond all dualities. That is, he is beyond the
mind as mind is composed of time, space and causation. And that idea we have seen earlier
and again the same idea is being repeated. Repetition is not a fault. Until we realize God,
we need repetition. So this is what we have to study here. The first line of this shloka and
the first half of the second line of this shloka is telling how that infinite God is appearing to
us as this Jagat, the universe, the creation that we are witnessing. But the second part of the
second line is telling, but don't think he is only the universe, he transcends the universe,
that means he includes the universe, that means the universe alone does not contain him,
does not give a right understanding of him, like the four blind men touching every different parts
of the elephant and committing the mistake that that particular part is the whole of the elephant.
So the Lord is transcendental. He is also immanent. This idea has been given to us in many ways.
So the Purusha with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet compasses the earth on all
sides. That means nothing else exists excepting him. But he extends beyond it by ten fingers breadth.
So ten fingers means you put your fingers there above the earth. You cannot put because you cannot
think of something beyond the earth. What it means is, Shankaracharya tells, ten fingers means
infinite. So what does it mean? Whenever you see any head, that is God. Wherever you see this Purusha
alone is there. Whenever you see any eye, that God is looking at you. And whenever you see any foot
moving, that is also God. That means the entire body. Every body is God. Every mind is God. Every
object is God. And don't think he is only confined to this universe. He far transcends. This finiteness
is one infinite part of that infinite just for the sake of understanding. So the Purusha with a thousand heads,
a thousand eyes, a thousand feet compasses the earth on all sides and extends beyond it by ten fingers breadth.
And this also we have seen in the very first mantra of the Purusha Suktam.
Everything that we see is Purusha. Everything that was before this birth, that is also Purusha.
The same Narayana. Purusha means Bhagavan. And whatever is going to come in future, that is also Purusha only.
That means there is nothing else excepting Purusha. Same idea we get in the very first mantra of the Mandukya Upanishad.
Omkara is everything. The past, the present, the future. Everything is Omkaram Sarvamevacha.
So what does it mean? That means anything that we experience. Our body is God. Our mind is God.
Every object that we experience is God. This false division between subject and object is completely false.
All faces, all heads, all necks belong to the Lord because He is the Virat Purusha, universal person.
And naturally He fills the entire universe like clay fills the entire pot.
That means there is no separate object called the pot. He is nothing else.
And this mantra in the Shwetashwara Upanishad is only reflecting.
Embodily it copies. I don't know whether anybody takes it to court for infringing copyright.
But this is how every Upanishad takes something from the other Upanishads.
But sometimes to avoid this copyright infringement, it puts it in a few words here and there.
Just as I change Ramakrishna's words and give it out to you as my own wonderful statements.
And you have to understand that I am open to you. That's why I am sharing everything.
That same Brahman is also transcendental.
And that is what we see in the 15th mantra.
That Purusha alone is all this.
Purusha eva idam sarva. Idam means what? His entire universe.
Yad bhutam. Whatever was there.
Echa bhavyam.
And Uta amrutatvasya ishanaha. He is the Lord of immortality.
Ishanaha means the Lord. Lord of what? Amrutatma. Immortality.
He is Moksha Swaroopa.
And all of us, we grow by food. Not only physical food. Not only ideological food.
But also spiritual food.
So all this Jagat is really the Purusha.
All that which existed in the past or will come into being in the future is also the Purusha.
Also He is the Lord of immortality.
That means what? He who has immortality.
He who is the Lord of wealth. He can give wealth.
He who is the Lord of knowledge can give knowledge.
He who is the Lord of aesthetics or Lord of music.
He can make you a musician.
That is what Mother Saraswati is.
So if the Lord is Amrutatvasya, then He will give you immortality.
So whatever is sustaining us, whatever we are going to reach, everything is nothing but the Lord.
He is the present. He is the future.
And He is also everything that was, that is and that will be.
That means nothing else exists excepting Him.
And that is what we see.
This beautiful, in the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, we see this one so crystal clearly.
When Arjuna talks about, you see,
Oh Lord, you have taught me all your best manifestations in the Vibhuti Yoga,
tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
And I know whatever you spoke is Paramasatya.
But I want to taste it once.
I want to directly experience it once.
And then Bhagavan Krishna says, you will not be able to see me with these earthly eyes.
Because earthly eyes will see only the earth.
Just like, you know, Ramakrishna used to say,
supposing a person is jaundiced, what does he see?
He sees yellowness everywhere.
There is a saying, it is said, frogs are terribly frightened of a snake.
So if somebody takes a frog and makes it to nice powder,
what we call collirium, and puts it on his own eyes,
now the frog has become the collirium, like specks,
and through that specks is going to see the whole world.
It is said, just as the frog sees snakes everywhere,
this fellow also starts seeing only snakes everywhere.
But put on the collirium, Nyananjana, of Krishna, like Radha used to do.
And what was she seeing? Krishna everywhere.
And Kamsa put on the collirium of Krishna in the form of Bhaya.
And then what was he seeing?
Now Krishna is coming.
And he is smiling at me.
But this rogue, he is coming near.
If I allow him to approach me, he is going to cut off my head.
So whether he is a friend, or a servant, or even a baby approaching,
perhaps that Mayavi is coming in the form of this small baby,
and in no time, he will grow into Vishwaroopa,
and immediately he will cut my head off.
So day and night, Kamsa, because he was the greatest devotee of God,
it was the greatest blessing that the Lord said,
you approach me, you will progress in spiritual life,
finally you will attain me, through what?
Through one Yoga.
You know, what is that Yoga called?
Bhaya Yoga.
Bhaya itself, like Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, it becomes Bhaya Yoga.
So Bhaya brings Kamsa to the Divine.
That is why I named it as Bhaya Yoga.
I don't know whether you heard of it.
So how did Gopis approach? Through Kama Yoga.
How did Shishupala and Dantavakra approach?
Through Dvesha Yoga.
So whatever helps us to approach God, that is a Yoga.
So you need not say only Karma Yoga, or Raja Yoga, or Bhakti Yoga, or Jnana Yoga.
So if you are afraid, that is called Bhaya Yoga.
If you are terribly miserly, or what is called Lobha,
terrible, what is called gluttony, greediness,
and if you connect, I don't want small things, I want everything,
and that name for everything is Krishna, Rama, Bhagawan.
So I want everything, I want God.
And that greediness will take you to God.
If you are to be jealous, you will be jealous.
Oh, you are repeating God's name 1,000 times, 10,000 times.
I will repeat 50,000 times.
And this is what had happened also in the Baranagar Monastery.
One night, all the direct disciples were about to sleep,
and they put off the light, and suddenly they started hearing,
as if a mouse was moving here and there.
And Swami Sharadanaji became alert,
because they were conserving food,
even they don't want to share it with a mouse,
because next day they will not be able to get it.
So he said, whoosh, immediately the sound stopped.
But after a few seconds, again the same sound started.
And Sharadanaji cherished a doubt.
So next day, he was ready with a matchbox.
As soon as the sound started, immediately he lit a match.
And what did he see?
Swami Adbhutaranda pretended to be lying down and about to go to sleep.
As soon as all these people went to sleep,
immediately he sat down like a ramrod, like a military person,
and started moving his japa mala.
Now sometimes I have my own doubts.
Why should he do japa mala with japa with japa mala?
He could have counted on his fingers.
Then he need not have attracted anybody's jealousy.
But anyway that was his way of doing it.
And immediately Sharadana said,
you rascal, you want to progress while we are sleeping.
We will not allow you to progress.
We will also do japa dhena.
They also started doing it.
I don't know what happened afterwards, don't ask me.
But what is meant is that if I become jealous,
try to become more unselfish,
a more tolerant person than you or anybody,
more charitable person than anybody,
that kind of jealousy is a marvelous jealousy.
Beautiful thoughts are there.
I have many things to share with you.
We will talk about it in next class.
Om Jananem Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Padapatmetayo Saritva
Pranamami Moham Moho
May Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.
Ramakrishna.

[[Category:Svetasvatara Upanishad]]