Om Hrim Ritam Lecture 02 on 25 August 2019

Full Transcript

ॐ

जननीम्  सारदाम् देविम् रामकृष्णं जगद्गुरुम् ।

पादपद्मे तयोः श्रित्वा प्रणमामि मुहरमुहुहु ।।

Oṃ jananīm sāradām devīm rāmakṛṣṇam jagadgurum |

Pādapadme tayoḥ śritvā praṇamāmi muhurmuhuhu ||

We are discussing the Avatāra Stotram. The first hymn, Khandana Bhava Bandhana, is completed. This is the second stotram composed by Swami Vivekānanda, based upon his vision of Sri Ramakrishna in the form of the mantra, “Oṃ Namō Bhagavatē Rāmakr̥ṣṇāya.” There are many similarities between this stotram and the Avatāra Stotram. When the occasion arises, we shall refer to those similarities. Sri Ramakrishna is described in this stotram. This hymn is exclusively dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, as his name is mentioned repeatedly. To begin with, let us consider Oṃ: What is His real nature? The real nature of God is represented by this symbol, Oṃ. That's why the very Oṃ, that particular Oṃkāra—or what is called Praṇava—has been expounded by one Upaniṣad that is completely dedicated to the explanation of Oṃ. Which Upaniṣad am I referring to? The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad.

Briefly, what is this Oṃ? Oṃ consists of three letters or syllables: Aa (ā), Oo (ū), and Mm (m̐) – Āūm̐. And there is that “um,” the final Mm. In the English language, when we use the letter “M,” we pronounce it fully. However, Sanskrit divides the letters into two parts: the Svaras (vowels) and the Vyañjanas (consonants) – ka, kha, ga, gha from Aa up to La. In Sanskrit grammar, Vyañjana refers to a consonant, distinguishing it from a vowel (Svara). The word is often used to denote the entire set of consonants in the Devanagari script. Consonants are never pronounced as ka, ga, ku, or gu. Consonants like ka, ga, or ma aren’t fully complete on their own. They need a vowel. Only ka plus aa is ka, ka plus ee is ki, and so on. Now, Aa, Oo, and Mm – Aa starts from the back of the throat and the chest area. I believe I’ve mentioned that the area from the neck to the lips is called the sound box, or larynx. What comes from our lungs is merely air. Like a flute, when air is blown through it, the different holes produce different sounds called the Sapta Svaras: Sa (Ṣaḍja), Ri (Ṛṣabha), Ga (Gāndhāra), Ma (Madhyama), Pa (Pañcama), Dha (Dhaivata), and Ni (Niṣāda).

So, when air passes through and enters the sound box, the first sound that emerges is Aa. If you like, place your fingers on your throat and say Aa. You can't say “Oo” initially; it just creates the sound Aa. The vocal cords vibrate deeply, producing a resonant sound. Now, say Oo. The sound travels from the throat through the mouth and resonates in the oral cavity. You can feel the vibration there. Finally, the sound ends when the lips come together. You cannot pronounce Makāra without both lips touching. The lips press together to produce the Mm sound, and this sound vibrates through the nasal passages, creating a humming or buzzing sensation. Vocalizing Oṃ involves the holistic engagement of the body, from the throat and mouth to the nasal passages and head. This is the arrangement.

This means Oṃ covers every sound in this world from the beginning to the end. This whole world is composed of objects, and all the objects have particular names. This is a wonderful philosophy: you cannot think of an object without the name, and you cannot think of a name without the associated object. For example, try uttering the word “man” without bringing to mind the corresponding form of a man. Can you do that? It is impossible. So, these two are associated. Nāma and Rūpa are associated. The whole world, or Jagat, consists of Nāma and Rūpa—names and forms. Every object has a name, and whether you utter it physically, vocally, or think of it mentally, the corresponding form must arise. So, when that name passes from the bottom of the sound box to the lips, the moment it reaches the lips, it must represent some name. Since it covers every sound in the world, only Oṃkāra can become the representation of God because God means the whole universe. The whole universe means all the objects. All the objects mean all the names. All the names mean all the sounds. All the sounds mean only those that can pass from the beginning of the sound box to the end of the sound box.

Now in this Oṃ, the first part is ‘Ah,’ the middle part is ‘uh,’ and the last part is ‘mm.’ That is why this was Swami Vivekānanda's explanation. That is why in this whole world there is no other word that can represent God. Oṃ means everything. You take the old Webster's Dictionary or the new international Oxford dictionary. All the words in the dictionary consist of only 26 letters. The English letters are tricky. For instance, consider the word “man” – the letter ‘a’ is not “a” but is closest to the Sanskrit letter “ah,” etc., but here "man" is pronounced as “ma-en.” Ah is pronounced as ‘ae.’ Whatever the sound, it must pass through this sound box. Oṃ consists of Ah, uh, and mm, but that is not the full Oṃ. It continues as ‘mmm,’ “Oṃmm.” That is why the last mm is called Ardha Mātrā—only half of that sound. The other ardha—the other half of that sound—is indescribable. It does not represent anything. That is why “mmm” represents all the three states of waking, dream, and deep sleep. ‘Ah’ is the symbol of the waking state. ‘Uh’ is the symbol of the dream state. ‘Mm’ is the symbol of the deep sleep state. But that which pervades all three, and is yet beyond all three, is called Oṃkāra.

So, they're all included here in the Oṃkāra. Sri Ramakrishna gives an example: you beat a drum or any other instrument. First, you hear all the expected sounds; after that, you hear mmm—like waves, similar to a gong. That is represented by Brahman. What a wonderful thing it is! Oṃkāra represents both the impersonal Brahman—Nirviśeṣa Brahman—as well as Īśvara. Īśvara always means Saguṇa Brahman. Īśvara is a "married" Brahman, married to Māyā. Brahman married to Māyā is called Īśvara; Brahman divorced from Māyā is simply called Brahman. Brahman and Īśvara—Saguṇa Brahman and Nirguṇa Brahman. The waking, dream, and dreamless states represent Saguṇa Brahman because the totality of all waking states, the totality of all dream states, and the totality of all the deep sleep states combined is called Īśvara. The three states individually are called as follows: The individual waker is called Viśva, and the universal waker is called Virāṭ. The individual dreamer is called Taijas, and the universal dreamer is called Hiraṇyagarbha. The individual deep sleeper is called Prājña, and the universal deep sleeper is called Īśvara.

So, Īśvara means Kāraṇa. Kāraṇa means cause. Cause means from where both the individual and universal are arising. That is why Īśvara is Brahman plus Māyā, otherwise called Saguṇa Brahman, or otherwise known as Triguṇātmikā, consisting of three Guṇas. Incidentally, those three Guṇas also roughly correspond to Sattva Guṇa as the waking state, the half-asleep or dream state to Rajo Guṇa, and deep sleep or Tamas is called Suṣupti. So, what am I trying to convey? Ah, Uh, and Mm represent waking, dream, and dreamless states. It represents not only the individual but the whole universe, or in totality called Saguṇa Brahman. Whereas, the “mmm” continuation is called Nirguṇa Brahman.

Everybody is going through the same three states. Now, hopefully, we are all in the waking state. It is the same with the whole universe, except the times may differ. If you go to England now, they are in deep sleep—Suṣupti state. If you go to America, they're watching TV now and getting ready to go to sleep. They also go through exactly the same things. That's why I sometimes make a little fun. A young male mosquito—what does it dream of? What does a young man dream of? A young woman. And what do young women dream of? Vice versa. So, what does a young male mosquito dream of? It dreams of two things: a beautiful young female mosquito and a beautiful young man full of blood without any mosquito curtain. These are the goals: Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Mokṣa. The mosquito also thinks about Mokṣa because it is not sure whether, in fulfilling Artha and Kāma, it will attain Mokṣa or not. It doesn't know.

So, our problem is: if we are identified individually, we are bound. If we are identified universally, we become free. This is the truth. Individuality creates separation. Separation means bondage. Universality creates what is called true freedom. Because that which allows our consciousness to work with the greatest freedom is called Sattva Guṇa. And the less our consciousness is manifested, or when it is half-manifested, it is called Rajo Guṇa. When it doesn't manifest at all, it is called the Tamo Guṇa.

Answering a question from the audience: Yes, the states keep changing constantly. Individuals who are in the waking state can also end up in Tamo Guṇa. I see that change even now in this class. You people begin with Sattva Guṇa, develop into Rajo Guṇa, and finally end up in Tamo Guṇa. But we have the potential. Our potentiality is to go beyond all the three states and to remain as a witness. That is represented by “mmm.”

This hymn belongs to Sri Ramakrishna. All these descriptions are about Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna is both the Nirguṇa Brahman as well as the Saguṇa Brahman. I will dwell upon it for a minute. God's name is Saccidānanda—Sat, Chit, and Ānanda. Universal Sat. Sat means existence without any particularity. It is called Sat. Existence with a particular thing is called manifestation. Take, for example, a table. You just say the word "table." Just saying the word "table" is interpreted in the English language as "I see a table," which means a table exists. You don't use the word "existence" after that word. What do you say? Table exists, man exists, chair exists. Why do we use two words like that? Because existence, without any form or without any name, is Sat. The moment that existence takes a particular form, we give it a special name and then call it a table, a man, a mosquito, a plant, a fan, or whatever. That is why we are forced to give a name, because it has a specialized form. The nearest example we can give is clay, wood, or gold. Initially, it is just a lump of gold, clay, and nothing more than that. But the moment it takes a special form, it is called a ring, a bangle, a necklace, or any other ornament. The point is, pure existence is called Sat. When that Sat manifests in the form of a particular thing, it becomes something.

Another example is the ocean. The ocean is nothing but water—pure water. The moment some air comes, it creates a wave or a bubble. Now, what is a wave? Is it different from the water? Then why do we call it a wave instead of calling it water? A wave is a particular form of water created by air. There is still water; air comes and raises it a little, and then we call it a small wave or bubble. If there is a little more air, it becomes a small wavelet; if there is more air, it becomes a bigger wave; and if there is still more air, you call it a tsunami. But all these things are nothing but pure water. So this pure existence is called Sat.

Similarly, pure knowledge—just knowledge. That which makes us know anything is called knowledge. Take, for instance, this tin of chocolates. You know what it is. As pure existence, you will not be aware of it. In fact, you cannot know it as existence also, but I am forced to give that example. The moment it comes to your mind, its particularized existence is this tin of chocolates. So you give it a name. This is a container. Inside the container, there are the chocolates. But if all these forms are smashed together or squashed together, you can't call it chocolates. If all the wooden furniture is squashed together, it is called wood. All the pots, if squashed together, are called clay. What I am trying to convey is that pure existence can never be experienced. “Experienced” implies: 1) there is an experiencer, 2) there is an object to be experienced, and 3) there is the process of experiencing.

You cannot give any name to pure knowledge, just like pure existence. Let me give an illustration. There is a big jar of water. There are small containers of different colors, shapes, and sizes. You go on pouring water into them. Now, you can distinguish one from another and say, “I want water from the small blue container, not from the red container.” Another illustration is what we make during Diwali: we melt sugar and then pour it into different molds, such as a small elephant, a horse, a chariot, a bird, etc., of different shapes and sizes. The children don't know that they are all exactly the same thing—that it is nothing but sugar—and they ask, “I want only the elephant; I want to eat the elephant. I want the horse, etc.”

Remember I told you an incident. Once, a family came to see one of our presidents, Swami Sankāraṇanda. A small child of 2–3 years old also accompanied them. It so happened that when this family had visited a few days earlier, our past president, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, had passed away. Somehow, the topic turned to Dr. Rajendra Prasad. The Swami was talking with the parents and some other devotees, and the Swami saw the small child and asked his sevak (attendant) to bring Rajbhog (Rajbhog is a variant of Rasagulla, a big Rasagulla with a different flavor and color). So, the Rajbhog was given to the child. He was eating and kept hearing the word “Rajendra Prasad” repeated over and over again. He liked the sweet very much, and after the meeting was over, they returned home. After two or three weeks, the same family visited the Math again. The moment the little boy saw Swami Sankāraṇandaji, he started shouting “ma Ami Rajendra Prasad kabo” in Bengali, which translates to “I want to eat Rajendra Prasad!” The little boy associated Rajbhog with Rajendra Prasad because he heard that name mentioned so many times.

We also make different dishes with the same vegetable. With the same potato, you can make five or six curries, but you prefer a specific dish. But if it is plain potato, it is just a potato and nothing but a potato. If it is plain rice, it is nothing but rice. But in combination with other ingredients, it becomes curd rice, sambar rice, lemon rice, tamarind rice, tomato rice, etc. So what am I trying to explain to you? Knowledge just is. You cannot give any name because it is knowledge per se. Going back to the earlier illustration, there are different containers. So some water looks yellow, some water looks green, some water looks red, and some looks white, all having different shapes because the water takes the shape of the container. If this knowledge enters into a musician, what do you call it? Music. If the same knowledge enters into a scientist, you call it science. Imagine all these musicians’ minds as one type of container, a scientist’s mind as another type of container, a poet's mind as another type of container, an IT person's mind as another type of container—Saraswati, the knowledge is exactly the same, but when that knowledge is received, it depends upon what shape our mind is when it is received. It takes that particular shape and becomes a musical mind, a scientific mind, a poetical mind, a cookery mind, a pickpocket mind, etc.

I'm talking about three separate issues. When Sat takes a particular form, you call it that particular man, mosquito, tree, etc. When knowledge enters, you assign a specific label to that form and say this person is a scientist, this person is a musician, etc. Similarly, Ānanda also is generalized, so you can't call it anything. You can't experience it. That is an important point. You can't experience pure existence, pure knowledge, pure Ānanda. You can only become one with it. Because, to experience, there should be a subject, there should be an object, there should be an instrument, and there should be a relationship between these three (Triputi). So what I am trying to convey to you is that real Sat-Chit-Ānanda cannot be experienced. That is why Swamiji says—existence absolute, knowledge absolute, and bliss absolute. So, this is Ānanda: when it enters into a pakoda, it is called fried Ānanda because it will fry you later on. So, if it is a sweet, it is a sweet Ānanda because it will make you sweet later on. You can become one with it, but you cannot experience it. The moment you have to experience it, you have to make it concrete. The abstract becomes divided into two—the subject and the object—and then there is that connection. These are abstract ideas that I am sharing with you.

Now we understand that “Oṃ” consists of three syllables. These three syllables also represent Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, and also the waking, dream, and deep sleep states. Every created Prāṇī (living creature) has to go through these three states: waking, dream, and deep sleep states, and in every state, it has to experience Sat, Chit, and Ānanda. I will give you a deeper analogy. When we are in the deep sleep state, we only experience one—Ānanda, which means pure Sat. When we are in the dream state, we experience a little bit of Sat, a little bit of Chit, and a little bit of Ānanda. Only in the waking state do we experience Sat, Chit, and Ānanda, and that too only in a limited capacity. That is why I mentioned Virāṭ—the Universal—which is very important.

Coming back to the hymn—this is a hymn about Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna is represented by Oṃ both as the impersonal Brahman (Nirguṇa Brahman) and as the personal Brahman (Saguṇa Brahman). That is what is mentioned in the first hymn to Sri Ramakrishna—Khaṇḍana bhava bandhana jaga vandana vandi tomāya | Nirañjana nara-rūpa-dhara nirguṇa guṇamaya || Here, “guṇamaya” means Saguṇa Brahman.

Let us consider Oṃ. When this Oṃ descends, as it were, manifests, or grossifies, it is called a Hrīṁ. I explained earlier that this Hrīṁ is called the Bīja Mantra. Now, our Hindu religion consists of three main sources: the Vedas, Tantras, and the Purāṇas. The Vedas represent Oṃ. The Tantras' special discovery is the Bīja Mantra. Every deity, in its most condensed form, is called a Bīja. Just like a whole tree is compressed into the form of a seed and then uncompressing or unzipping is called manifestation, the unmanifested is called the Bīja, and the manifested is called the actual experience, or whatever is experienced. We are talking about that Brahman who is beyond both the mind and Vākya or expression. Vākya means how we express it. So when you think about something, it is called Mana, and when you want to express what you think, it is called Vākya. This Vāk also has two aspects: a mental aspect and a physical aspect. That is why, what you do in a dream state is that you are talking to yourself. The whole dream is nothing but a talk with yourself. Suppose you are dreaming that Swami Dayatmananda is taking a class, and you are listening with rapt attention. Who is talking in your dream? Not Swami Dayatmananda, but you yourself. Upon waking up, who is talking? You are talking to yourself only. It seems that in your dream also, you don't have the courage to sit on the platform and give a lecture to yourself. And there, you have to create a Swami Dayatmananda to give the talk. Such is your lack of self-confidence! If you had the confidence, then you would make me the audience and give the lecture. But in your dream also, you are not able to do that.

Reverting to the topic of Oṃ - Oṃ represents that which is beyond both mind and speech and everything else. That is why it is said “Avāṅ-mānasa-gocaram” and “Yato vāco nivartante, aprāpya manasā saha.” Hrīṁ is especially a Tāntrik  contribution. This Hrīṁ represents the manifestation of God in a particularized form. So every form consists of three things: Name (Nāma), Form (Rūpa), and the third most important component is the Quality (Guṇa). We shall explore Nāma, Rūpa, and Guṇa in detail shortly.

For example, when you think of Brahma, what is the Guṇa? “Sṛṣṭi Kartā” or the creator. He is Sattvic. He represents Sattva. Because only Sattva-Guṇa creates. When you think of Vishnu, which Guṇa are we talking about? Rajo-Guṇa - because he has to have two things as he is the maintainer. First, he requires a lot of money. Second, he requires weapons to create fear. That is why Vishnu possesses both Lakṣmī as well as weapons such as the Sudarśana Cakra, Gadā, and Śaṅkha, Chakra, and so on. He can't do his job without Lakṣmī. If Lakṣmī comes down to earth, he will also come down. That is how Lord Venkateshwara has established because he had to come down to earth to accumulate money to pay off his debt. That is why he wanted all the money in the world and whatever money you give him, it is not sufficient. See how important money is even to God?

So what is Vishnu’s quality? When we want to be saved, whom do we pray to? Usually, we pray to Vishnu. When we want some powers, people will also pray to Śiva; Śiva also is a recycling process. It is not death; it is recycling. It will withdraw the worn-out parts, recycle them, and make new parts. He goes on exchanging them. That is the job of Śiva. Then weapons are needed. In other words, when Nirguṇa Brahman becomes Saguṇa Brahman, Sa-Guṇa. That's why he is called with Guṇa. Guṇa means quality. Quality cannot abide unless there is an object. Suppose the colour red or green is a quality. Have you ever seen red or green or yellow or blue without being associated with an object? There must be an object like a wall, a flower, a piece of cloth, a person, etc. There must be something for this Guṇa to reflect.

We are talking about two types of Guṇas here. One kind is Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas Guṇas. The other kind is what we call attributes such as compassion, knowledge, power, good person, generous person, loving person, caring person, sharing person, etc. These are also called Guṇas. Now, what is the relationship between Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas and these attributes? It is Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas only that are manifesting as these characteristics. More Sattva means more good qualities, and so on. This applies to colours as well. Those who are connoisseurs or experts discern the choice of colours. Crude people prefer very crude colours, very bright, like bright red, bright orange, etc. But those with delicate minds prefer pleasant colours, mild colours. In colours also there is a connotation. If it is red, it stands for danger. That's why in order to stop something, red is invariably used and not green. It is always red for stopping or to represent danger. But if you want to spot somebody, bright green colour is used. That's why they wear bright or neon green because they discovered that bright green can be seen from a very long distance. It is not that simply somebody sat down and said, “I like this colour.” A lot of research has been done on this. Hence all the rescue workers wear bright green. The next most visible colour from a long distance is red.

Now we are talking about two types of Guṇas. Every Guṇa—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—as well as their derivatives—goodness, excess activity, or lethargy—is represented by Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. All these attributes are derived from these three main qualities. That is why it is said in the cycle of Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, and Vināśa: Sṛṣṭi is represented by Sattva Guṇa; Sthiti is represented by Rajo-Guṇa; and Vināśa or Laya is represented by Tamo Guṇa. Hence, Shiva is called Tamo Guṇa. Black colour is associated with Tamo Guṇa. Red colour is associated with Rajo Guṇa. White colour is associated with Sattva Guṇa. The whole world is a combination of Guṇas.

So what it means is that Sri Ramakrishna is both the Nirguṇa Brahman as well as the Saguṇa Brahman. This Saguṇa Brahman is represented by this particular Bīja Mantra called Hrīṁ. But don’t assume that every deity is represented by Hrīṁ. For example, the power of the Guru or the power of teaching wonderfully well is condensed into Aiṁ. Sri Krishna’s Bīja Mantra is Klīṁ. Mother Kali’s Bīja Mantra is Krīṁ (rhymes with "creem" or "kreem"). Lord Ganesha’s Bīja Mantra is Gaṁ. Mother Durga’s Bīja Mantra is Dhūm. That is why in the Lalitha Sahasranamam, it is stated: “Oṁ aiṁ hrīṁ śrīṁ”. Oṁ represents Nirguṇa Brahman. Aiṁ represents the awakening power, Hrīṁ represents the power to control the mind, and Śrīṁ represents the power of ānanda. That is why Lakshmi is a representation of ānanda or bliss. These are regarded as Tāntrik contributions.

Now, for creating anything or for manifesting anything, energy is needed. The whole universe, according to science, is represented by matter. Matter cannot be created or destroyed; it is a given, existing by itself like Sat. But the moment matter has to transform into any object, it requires energy. That is why Swami Vivekānanda starts his Rāja Yoga with Prāṇa and Ākāśa. Ākāśa is the material, Prāṇa is the energy, and when both combine, this entire universe, consisting of the waking, dream, and dreamless states, comes into existence. These are beautiful concepts. You have to reflect on these concepts and do Manana (contemplate) to make them your own.

Sri Ramakrishna is both the Nirguṇa Brahman represented by Oṃ. He is also the Saguṇa Brahman represented by Hrīṁ. Now, this Hrīṁ is in an unmanifested state; as I said, it is the Bīja, the seed. All seeds look alike. A sour mango seed also looks the same, a sweet mango seed also looks the same, a Neelam, Badami, Alfonso, or Banganapalli, or the seeds of hundreds of varieties of mangoes appear the same, and you really cannot distinguish and say which is which. You can’t tell. They all look exactly alike. They have to be manifested, and the best manifestation of all these things can come only when there is one special talent or power. That power is represented by Ṛtam.

Ṛtam means a cosmic order, as I explained in the last class. There is a cosmic order. I will give you one small example. The sun always rises in the East and then travels towards the West and sets in the West. And again, this repeats day after day. You will not see a single day’s exception to it. This regularity of exactly behaving in the same way is called Ṛtam. Man is born, grows up, becomes old, and then dies. A seed grows into a tree, gives birth to seeds, and again goes back to the seed state. It does not die but returns to the seed state. It starts with the seed and goes back to the seed state. A season comes, for example, spring, then summer, rainy season, autumn, cold season, winter season, and spring season again. There is no exception to it. There is this complete regularity. There is a law, and so it cannot behave otherwise. When you throw an object, it has to fall back because of gravitational power. This power of things going in a regular way is called Ṛtam. Why is it necessary? Well, one day if the sun rises here, and another day the sun rises there, and one day it rises at midnight, and the next day it rises at midday, then man cannot survive. Because we humans, mosquitoes, plants, birds, and all living things regulate their lives in accordance with this cosmic order. So, the first meaning of Ṛtam is cosmic order. The fire always burns, water always wets, air always dries, space always affords movement (Ākāśa means opportunity or scope), and the Earth always produces.

What I wanted to say is that this order also is not eternal. The order is actually going towards disorder. That's also a cycle. We say that the order is degenerating. We should not actually say that it is degenerating. What we call chaos regularly occurs. That is also an order. Man is born and he dies. Similarly, there is an order. There is an order in disorder also. It is like saying that the Sun is losing its energy. There will come a point when the whole system, this universe, this order will collapse. And again, there will be a regeneration of some kind. So your question is, where is Ṛtam? That's occurring already. Man is born, and every second he's changing and going back to his unmanifested state. The Sun becoming cold does not mean it is the death of the Sun. This is a very important concept to keep in mind. From the unmanifested, it becomes manifested, and that is called the birth of a star. This star, after expending its energy, goes back to a state of non-manifestation, again to manifest in some other place, in some other way. But don't worry. There will be billions and billions of suns. Anyway, your question reminded me of a joke. A man was asked, "Do you drink?" He said, "Yes." The second question was, "Do you drink occasionally or regularly?" He said, "I only drink occasionally, but the occasion comes regularly."

This process of Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, and Laya applies to every object in this world, including man. When a banyan tree will live for a thousand years, a man's usual lifespan is only about 100 years. A mosquito’s Āyurdaya—span of living—is 4 or 5 days. But this concept is according to human beings' perspective. Is this concept correct? Actually, it is a totally wrong concept from the mosquito’s perspective. If you ask a mosquito, "Did you live for three days or did you live a hundred years?" it will say it lived a full life in mosquito time. We measure everything in human terms. That's not right because mosquitoes also look at a human being from a mosquito's viewpoint and not from a human's viewpoint. It judges man—“This person is a very good person because he has no mosquito curtain. This person is a very holy person because his mosquito curtain is full of holes.” So man also judges everything from the viewpoint of a man. That's why a beautiful book has been published to illustrate different viewpoints: Men Are from Mars and Women Are from Venus.

Sri Ramakrishna is the Nirguṇa Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna is also the Saguṇa Brahman, represented by Hrīṁ. That Hrīṁ is the unmanifested form and is called Īśvara. It is from that Īśvara that the process of grossification starts slowly. It becomes the Pañca Sūkṣma Bhūtas. This entire cosmological process is beautifully outlined in Sāṁkhya. Vedanta bodily lifts it up, and these five subtle elements become gross and result in the five gross Bhūtas. Our bodies consist of the five gross elements, while our minds consist of the five subtle elements. So, again, we go back to the same cycle. Every day, from the cause to the semi-manifestation, then full manifestation, then semi-manifestation, and later non-manifestation. Going round and round every day. And when we realize that this is the truth, we become free. Then there would be no manifestation.

So now the third point is Ṛtam. Ṛtam means cosmic order. To maintain the cosmic order, we need an order individually, as well as societally. That order is what we call moral order. This is called, in plain Sanskrit language, Dharma. So Oṃ gives birth to Hrīṁ; Hrīṁ gives birth to Ṛtam; Ṛtam gives birth to Dharma (moral order); and Dharma gives birth to Karma. This is how our Karma Siddhānta has come about. In brief, what it means is that Hindus believe our actions can make us either happy or unhappy. Our actions can either help us to move forward or move backward. That is why Swami Vivekānanda defined Dharma as any action, either physical or mental, that which moves us nearer to God is called Dharma. Whatever moves us away from God is called Adharma. Now, God is Sat, Chit, and Ānanda. Therefore, the nearer we move towards Sat—it means we become healthy, less selfish, pure, and good. Growth in these four areas is called Sat. Growth in the right knowledge is called Chit, and growth in happiness is called Ānanda. This is called Dharma. Any act that will take us nearer to that is Dharma. That is the first point.

The next point is that they all go together. A person who is selfish and foolish cannot be a happy person. A happy person cannot be an evil person. You might think this person is very happy because he has a lot of money earned by hook or crook. No, examine that person—it's impossible. The greatest Māyā is to misunderstand those people who have a lot of things as happier people, and those who don't have as unhappy people. No, there is no such law. I'll give you an interesting statistic. The highest gross income is in Sweden, and the highest suicide rate is also in Sweden. America is generally supposed to be endowed with a lot of things. However, the highest mental health problems are reported from America. Now, tell me, is a person with 50% mental problems 50% more happy than others? Mental problems mean unhappiness. So, would you like to exchange? For instance, if an American comes and tells you that he can give you his wealth and along with it his mental problems, would you want it? It is not desirable. We want wealth, but we don't want the mental problems because you cannot enjoy wealth if you have worries and mental problems.

So Ṛtam is the cosmic order, and in its personal behavioral aspect, it is called the moral order. That is called Dharma and Adharma. This concept of Dharma and Adharma has degenerated into Karma Siddhānta. When Hindus say we are believers in Karma, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs are not talking about normal activity. Karma doesn't mean normal activity; that is common to animals, mosquitoes, plants, and everything. A right action is called Karma, and a wrong action is called Dushkarma. Karma Siddhānta is considered if you do anything in the right way, then it will lead you to Sat, Chit, and Ānanda. If you do anything in the wrong way, it will lead you to other things.

The first phrase in this hymn is Oṃ Hṛim Ritām, which is followed by Tvam Achalaḥ. Achalaḥ means immovable. Immovable means immutable. Immutable means changeless. God is changeless. Sri Ramakrishna is changeless. The equivalent word in the Viṣṇu Sahasranāma is called Achyuta. Chyuta means to move away from one's position. Not to move is called Achyuta.  Parashara Bhatta has given a most wonderful definition of Achyuta. What is it?

First, let me illustrate. Suppose somebody goes to Sri Rama and takes refuge in Him. Let us say Vibhishana went to Sri Rama and said, “I take refuge in You.” Then Rama says, “I have accepted your surrender and I have accepted you as my devotee and have accepted the responsibility to save you, to protect you.” Now, it does not matter even if you choose not to be my devotee because once I have given my word, I will never move away from my word. This is called Achyuta. So Parashara Bhatta is telling that sometimes a devotee later on may become a non-devotee, may slide down, but God will never leave His devotee’s hand. He will always protect him. Sometimes He may have to do a little bit of punishment.

There is the story of a Vipra Narayana who was a great devotee of Bhagavān Krishna. After some time, he fell into the clutches of a prostitute, and then a case was brought against him that he stole some jewelry from the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. In fact, God Himself had stolen from Himself and put it in Vipra Narayana's hand, who gave it to this prostitute. The temple priest noticed it on her and asked her how she got something that belonged to God. How did it fall into her possession? She simply said that Vipra Narayana gave it to her. They immediately arrested Vipra Narayana and put him in jail. The punishment given was that his head would be cut off. Vipra Narayana said, “Lord, if it is Your will, You can do whatever You like.” As Ramakrishna said, “I am Your goat, and You can cut little by little.” You know, our concept of being executed at one shot is okay because we won’t feel much pain. But to take a blade and cut a little bit, like one centimeter today, a second centimeter tomorrow, and a third centimeter on the third day, and so on, to tell God to do whatever He pleases to do is the trait of a true devotee. God wanted to show that His devotees will never perish—“Na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati” (“My devotee will never perish.”) Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 9, Verse 31), where Lord Krishna assures that those who are devoted to Him will never be lost. And when he was about to be executed, the priest came running suddenly and said, “Oh! King, it is right there, the ornament is right where it belongs, and we can't understand how.” If God wants to steal, who can prevent it? He first stole it from Himself and gave it back. Again, He stole it back from him and took it away. Everything is God's Līlā. Then the king said, “Oh, Mahātma, I have committed a lot of sin. Please forgive me,” to which Vipra Narayana said, “I have nothing to forgive. It is God who stole and it is God who has returned.” This is the condition of great people.

Anyway, Achalaḥ means once a person, a devotee, takes refuge in God, God will never leave that person. In fact, He can’t leave. Because, who am I? None other than God. So it is not that I’m separate from God. If you make me separate from you, you will also become separate. Because if, from Infinity, you cut off a piece and say this is finite, then what happens to Infinity? It also becomes finite only. There cannot be separation.

The Vedas give Oṃ, the Tantra gives the Bīja Mantra, and the Purāṇas give the Nāma or the name of the deity. All the deities such as Narayana, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, Rama, Devi, Kali, Gowri, Parvati, Kumara, Anjaneya, and Shanmukha are from the Purāṇas only. You don't get these names in the Vedas. In the Vedas, there were natural powers. Vishnu was there; all the different gods and goddesses of the Vedas had become completely merged. As man's understanding grew, all those became coalesced, as it were, and completely they have become one God. And that God has three aspects: creation, maintenance, and recycling. So Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshwara are not different, but unable to understand this fact, some Shiva bhaktas, as we know, go and criticize Vishnu bhaktas. Vishnu bhaktas give them back with compound interest. They are unable to understand that there is only one God, and that is the truth, so beautifully brought out in the fourth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:

Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham

Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ

- Bhagavad Gita 4-11

“In whatever way people approach Me, I reciprocate with them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O Pārtha (Arjuna)”. Regardless of the path or form of worship one chooses, it ultimately leads to Him only.

Everybody is coming to me only because there is no other destination. Wherever you go, wherever you turn, it is the same Lord, but people call me by different names – “Ekam sat viprā bahudhā vadanti” (Rig Veda 1.164.46), which means "Truth is one, the wise call it by many names." It emphasizes the idea of a single underlying reality expressed in different ways. This is the grandest truth which only Vedanta gives us. It is there in every religion. It must be there, but it is not as succinctly manifest like in the Hindu Dharma. This is the truth about it.

So we will discuss – Guṇajit and Guṇedyāḥ. Guṇajit means he is the conqueror, the Lord. It refers to one who has conquered the guṇas (qualities of nature), one who has mastery over the three guṇas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas and is esteemed for their inherent qualities.

Sṛṣṭi sthiti vināśanaṁ śakti bhūte, sanātani,

Guṇāśraye, Guṇamayi, nārāyaṇi namostute

This is a part of a hymn praising Nārāyaṇi (an epithet of the Divine Mother), who embodies the powers of creation (sṛṣṭi), sustenance (sthiti), and destruction (vināśa). The verse honours her as the eternal one (sanātani), the refuge of qualities (guṇāśraye), and the one who pervades all qualities (guṇamayi).

Guṇamayi - She is the support, and in this context “She” means Sri Ramakrishna - Oṃ Hrīṁ. How wonderfully they have expressed; you know, everything harmonizes so beautifully. So this Īśvara is called Shakti because, in our concept, whatever gives birth is only female—Shakti. In order to do anything or create anything (Sṛṣṭi), we need Shakti. For maintenance also, we need Shakti, and for recycling also, we need Shakti only. It is all Shakti only.

That is why there is this wonderful concept of Kālī. Kālī represents Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, and Laya. Understand what those four hands represent. Two hands (usually the right) are in the Abhaya (fearlessness) and Varada (blessing) mudras. The upper right hand with the fingers pointing upwards represents Abhaya. You have to be alive first to ask for something, to ask for a Vara (boon), and Kālī’s Abhaya Mudra assures that anyone worshipping her with a true heart will be saved as she will guide them here and in the hereafter. The lower right hand with the fingers facing downwards is the Varada Mudra, which means she is promising to fulfill your desires and grant whatever you wish for in life. Usually, our vision of Kālī stops right there only (her two right hands) because we are too afraid to look at the other side—with the upper left hand holding a sword and the lower left hand holding a decapitated human head. These represent Laya or destruction. In other words, the upper right hand represents Brahma—the creator (Sattva), the lower right hand represents Vishnu—the preserver (Rajas), and the left hand represents Shiva—the destroyer (Tamas). First Sṛṣṭi, Sthiti, and then Laya, and time. And this can be done only in Kāla (time). That is why Kālī is nothing but Kāla deified. Kāla means time deified; Kāla means time, and time means change. Time deified is called Kālī. But what lies beneath her? Shiva lies beneath her. But he is not called Shiva there; he is called Mahākāla. Mahākāla means eternity. From eternity, what is manifested as Desha (place), Kāla (time), and Nimitta (cause) is called Kāla. Desha, Kāla, and Nimitta go together. These are very profound ideas. Swamiji (Swami Vivekananda) tried to explain in his Jñāna Yoga, and I am trying to explain it.

So, Guṇajit means He is the conqueror; He is the master; He is the Īśvara, which means He is the conqueror of Guṇas, which is nothing but Māyā. The Lord is the Lord of Māyā.

Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā

Then, He is also manifest in the form of Guṇedyāḥ. He is adorned with an ocean of auspicious qualities. What Ramanujacharya calls as “He is an infinite ocean of auspicious qualities.” That is what we will discuss in our next class. Only this concept takes time. Oṃ Hrīṁ Ṛtam. The rest is quite simple and we will discuss it in our next class.

Post class Question and Answer: (Regarding Durga Saptashati  or Chandi).

It is a most wonderful book. This book is considered in two ways. It is considered as a devotional book greatest devotional book. And in this, one particular yoga is highlighted. This is called Smarana Yoga. The Devatās seek Mother’s blessing and ask “whenever we remember you Mother, please come to our aid”. Smṛti is what Holy Mother emphasized.

Secondly, this is also called Mantra Śāstra.  For every Mantra there is a significance. I will give a simple example. There are many slokas and mantras. For every possible problem, there is a mantra. I will give an example – suppose somebody is suffering from lack of sleep or insomnia, if he prays to Mother with the devotion, “Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Nidrā-Rūpeṇa Saṁsthitā | It will work and solve his problem. But somebody says is suffering from too much of sleep and if he prays ‘Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Śakti-Rūpeṇa Saṁsthitā again, it will work.

Similarly the other aspects of Mother - Kṣamā-Rūpeṇa, Dayā-Rūpeṇa, Mātṛ-Rūpeṇa, Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Cetanetyabhidhīyat is there in the same Mantra. Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Bhrānti-Rūpeṇa Saṁsthitā - She is the both Vidya Māyā and Avidya Māyā. So if she is pleased she will give you Vidya Māyā and if she is displeased, she will manifest in the form of with Avidya Māyā. The mantra to be chanted if you are not having an appetite is - Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Kṣudhā-Rūpeṇa Saṁsthitā|. Suppose somebody is a drunkard then this Mantra will work - Yā Devī Sarva-Bhūteṣu Tṛṣṇā-Rūpeṇa Saṁsthitā | Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaḥ ||