Mandukya Karika Lecture 015 on 8 September 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohor Moho Om Bhadram Kanne Vishrunayama Devaha Bhadram Pashye Makshavirya Jatraha Sthirai Rangai Stushtu Agam Sastanu Bhe Vyase Ma Devahe Tanyadayoh Swasthina Indro Vrithashravaha Swasthina Poosha Vishwa Veda Swasthina Starksho Arishtaneme Swasthino Brihaspati Ridadhato Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hari Om Om O Gods, may we hear auspicious words with our ears, may we see auspicious things with our eyes. Worshipping the Gods with steady limbs, may we enjoy a life that is beneficial to all. May Indra of ancient fame bestow auspiciousness on us. May the all-nourishing potion be propitious to us. May Garuda, the destroyer of all evil, be well disposed towards us. May Brihaspati ensure our welfare. Om Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all. We are exploring the Mandukya Upanishad along with Gaudapada Karikas. We have not yet come to the Gaudapada Karikas. Before we proceed further, I want to recollect what we discussed throughout all these classes because we are going to enter into one of the deepest ideas, laws, which is so natural, not L O W S, L A W S. So what did we discuss so far? That is, the glory of the Upanishad starts with the glory of the Omkara and says, so what is the greatness in this Omkara? What is such a great thing about this Omkara? Then Shankaracharya is giving us this introduction, Atma Tattva Pratipatti Upayatvam. This is the one and only means of attaining Atma Tattvam, the knowledge of the Atman. Tattvam means right knowledge and Atma Tattvam means correct self-knowledge. Pratipadyate, this Upaya, this path alone can take us no other path. Even if someone mistakenly thinks that he is following a separate path with unknowingly, unconsciously, he is following only this Omkara. Ityuchyate, this is going to be elaborated here. Then we have seen several quotations from the Shrutis. Why these quotations? I gave this explanation because this first section of this Mandukya Karika, remember Mandukya Upanishad, Vidhi Karika, Shankara Bhashya has been divided into four sections called Prakaranams. The first Prakaranam consisting of Shankara Bhashya, 12 mantras of the original Upanishads, Mandukya Upanishad, plus 29 Karikas. That is what the first chapter, Agama Prakarana, which is called Agama Prakarana. Agama means Vedas, Upanishads. So plenty of quotations come. What quotations we have seen? Om Ity Atmanam Yunjitha. Meditate on the Self as Om. And what do I gain by meditating upon Om as the Self? Om Ity Brahma. Taittiriya Upanishad, Om is nothing but Brahman. This word Om is Brahman. Not only that, Omkara Eva Idam Sarvam. Everything that we see in this world is nothing but Omkara only. So everything is Brahman. Everything is Omkara. Therefore Omkara is Brahman. All this is really Om. Then what happens when we contemplate upon this Om? What happens? As the rope, etc., which are the substratum of illusions, as the snake, etc., Tatha Sarvopu Vak Prapanchaha Pranadi Atma Vikalpa Vishayaha Omkara Eva Just as we have to remember, whenever we are studying these things, always certain fundamental truths, understandings must be at the forefront. One of them is, you may see one particular thing as many things. For example, you may see a rope as a garland, as a streak of water, as a crack in the earth, as a bent stick, or as a snake. Whatever it must resemble, that is the only condition. So when we see these things, all these are changing things. Why? Because if something is true, everybody should be able to have the same experience. But different people mistake the same thing in different ways, depending upon their past experience, imaginations, fears, expectations, etc. This is the first thing we have to keep in mind. What is the second thing? That without some substratum, which is eternally there, it is impossible to superimpose anything. You take away the rope, and all these hundred varieties of imaginations will vanish. Take away the desert, and you cannot see any water there. So that is the second truth that we have to remember. What is the first truth? That when we have superstition, superimposition through avidya, anything can be superimposed. Only condition is it should be resembling that one. That's why 4-5 examples, a bent stick, a crack in the earth, a garland, and of course a snake, or it could be even a bent rope also, something like that. But if you remove the rope, whatever number, even if there are billions of superimpositions, you cannot see any of them. That's why this Brahman is the substratum for this entire world. That is what he is telling here. Aspada means substratum. So rajju, etc., is the substratum for the imagination, superimposition of serpent, etc. Any number of ikalpas means imaginations. Similarly, advayam, atma, this there must be a substratum called duality-less. Dvaya, heena, advayam. Atma, it is atma, it is Brahma, etc., paramarthataha, and that should be there never changing. Only paramarthataha, sun, only if it be there. Then one can imagine upon that substratum called Brahman, everything. We are going to come, Godfather is going to give. Some people think that Brahman is time. Some people think that form is Brahman. Some people think prana is Brahman. Some people think manas is Brahman. Some people think buddhi is Brahman, vijnanam is Brahman. Some people think anandam is Brahman. And some people, of course, Buddhists, they say sunyam, Brahman is nothing but sunyam. There is no substratum at all. So as the rope, etc., which are the substratum of such illusions, any number of illusions that were there in the past, that are there now, and that will come in the future, they cannot stand without the substratum. This entire universe that was in the past, that was in the present, that is going to be in the future. Earlier what did he say? Atma is the substratum. What is he telling now? Omkara alone. Eva means alone. So what is this omkara? So this omkara, first of all, is nothing but vakprapanchah. The entire world is nothing but vakprapanchah. A world of sounds, shabdas, and these entire shabdas spring only from omkara. Everything, every object, our bodies, our minds, everything is nothing but omkara only. How it is, that's what we are going to explore in the future. This is only. So prana, prana, etc., body, etc., indriyas, etc., everything is nothing but only words, and words, and words. Let me give a small example before we go further. Suppose you see an ornament, and what is this called? It is called a necklace, for example. This necklace, what is this necklace? It's nothing but an ornament made out of gold. Now is this necklace? Stop a minute and ask yourself, is it an object, or is it only some words? So our scripture categorically tells us it is not an object. It doesn't have a separate objective experience other than the gold. A pot doesn't have separate existence apart from the clay. A furniture has no separate existence apart from the wood, etc., etc. So when you are saying this is necklace, do you say that it is not gold? Do you say the necklace is a separate object? If that is true, then when you take gold to the goldsmith, he will keep the gold, and he will give you an ornament because both are separate objects. No, whatever we are calling this is an ornament is nothing but gold, a lump of gold, a formless, nameless gold. That gold has been given a specific form with a specific name for a specific purpose. For example, this necklace cannot be put around your waist. For that, there must be some what we call waist belt should be there made up of gold. Many women have this. Rich women have that. So a finger must have only a ring. A ring cannot be worn around the neck unless somebody is powerful enough to squeeze your neck so that it passes like a camel could pass through the eye of a needle. So a necklace cannot be worn by a finger. A ring cannot be worn by the neck, etc. Everything has got a particular shape, particular size, particular name, particular purpose. But if you analyze supposing this necklace weighs 200 grams, what is the weight of the necklace? Weight of the gold. What is the weight of the gold? 200 grams. How does this necklace taste? Just as the gold tastes. How does it smell? If gold has a smell, how does it look? It is shiny, exactly like the gold. Shabda, sparsha, rooparas, gandha is nothing but gold only. But it gives an illusion temporarily it is a separate object. So also this entire universe is nothing but Brahman. Brahman in a particular form is called man. Brahman in another particular form is called Rashagulla. So this Rashagulla has a particular shape, particular color, particular flavor, particular taste. So this is nothing but what is the Rashagulla? Nothing but it is broken milk what we call chhena, paneer, cheese. Cheese is not a correct word because cheese reminds us something very horrible. So it is Indian cheese let us say. Broken milk is better word. So like that everything is nothing but Omkara. Different manifestations, expressions of Omkara. That is why this is being told here everything has come from Brahman. Brahman is Atman. Atman is nothing but this world. This world contains Namarupa and the entire Namarupa has sprung only from Omkara. So Omkara is everything. Therefore Omkara is Atma, Omkara is Brahman, Omkara is everything. That's what the subject matter which we are going to say. Tatha sarvo api vakprapanchah. The whole universe is nothing but just words, words, words, words, words with some sounds. So this world consists of Prana Adi, Atma, Vikalpa, Vishaya. Everything is Omkara. Everything is Brahman. Everything is Omkara. Everything is Atman. Whichever word we use, Atma, Omkara, Brahman, they mean exactly same thing. So is the non-dual Atman which is the ultimate reality. A substratum of such imagination such as the Prana, vital breath, they are all unreal. Then what is real? Such a Atma swaroopam eva and tat abhidhaya katwat. Everything is nothing but pure consciousness, pure Atman. Atma swaroopam eva. But this Atman has been given a very particular name. What is that name? Tat abhidhaya katwat. Abhidhaya means a name. A name invariably points to the named. The moment you hear man or woman or an animal or a tree, the corresponding object stands crystal clear in front of us. But these are only words and that is what we are going to explore. This is only to recollect. Omkara vikara shabda abhidhaya cha sarvaha. Sarvaha means every. Every what? Every object has a name and every name is nothing but Omkara shabda vikaras. It is nothing but modifications of the Omkara. How is it? That is what we are going to discuss. But before that I want to quote these profound statements from Sri Ramakrishna before we go to Swami Vekananda. Sri Ramakrishna says the sadhu believes in God without form. That's good. There was a sadhu who came to Dakshineshwar. Sri Ramakrishna was pleased with him and he was talking with that sadhu and he immediately he understood this sadhu is a follower of what is called formless aspect of God. When something is formless, it is also nameless. When something is formless and nameless it is also quality-less and therefore it cannot be really experienced excepting imagined. So Sri Ramakrishna is continuing that's good because that is also jato maat tato pad. That's good. God is both formless and endowed with form. He is many things more. Earlier, elsewhere Sri Ramakrishna says he is with form, he is without form and he is also beyond both form and formlessness. The absolute and the relative belong to one and the same reality. What is beyond speech and mind is born in the flesh assuming various forms and engaging in various activities. What does it mean? Every word, every sentence of Sri Ramakrishna is pregnant with deep meaning. What is Sri Ramakrishna telling here? What is beyond speech and mind? avaam manasa gocharam. What is it? Brahman. Nirguna nirakara nirvikara Brahman. That Brahman, he is born in the flesh. Born means manifest as flesh assuming various forms. What forms? Both the living and non-living. Not only human beings. We take pride though we behave worse than animals. Animals are far superior to most of us. They are saints in comparison with just open your eyes and look what is happening everywhere in this world. So, that Brahman assuming various forms and engages himself or itself in various activities and from that one aum. See, how Sri Ramakrishna is again playing like the Upanishad. First he said God with form, without form, both are good and God is also many things besides and that God is manifesting in the form of this world in the form of living and non-living in the flesh assuming various forms and doing various activities. Now observe from that one aum have sprung aum Shiva aum Kali and aum Krishna. These are only examples not only three. He is Ganesha, he is Kartikeya and he is what is called Christ, he is called Buddha, he is called Allah, he is called God he is by whatever name a person chooses but the only condition is that that particular name should remind that follower of the highest reality. That is the only condition. So Sri Ramakrishna is telling that so many names and then he continues, the sound aum is Brahman. The Rishis and sages practiced austerity to realize that sound Brahman. Just see what is happening, how Sri Ramakrishna is saying that sound Brahman is that sound aum is Brahman. Exactly what the Mandukya and other Upanishads are telling. And then not only that he is telling the Rishis and sages practiced tremendous austerity to realize Shabda Brahman, sound Brahman. And after attaining perfection one hears the sound of this eternal world rising spontaneously from the navel. Just recollect to add a little bit to this from the Bible. When Swami Vivekananda was at the Thousand Island Park the first thing, first day his class was from the Bible because you are all Christians let us start from the Bible. In the beginning was the word and that word was God and everything is God. Exactly same thing he is telling. In the beginning was Shabda Brahman and that Shabda Brahman is none other than God. There is a school of philosophy it is called Sphota Vada. Sphota means explosion, spontaneous explosion. We will come to that. So this is called sound Brahman. After attaining perfection one hears the sound of this eternal world rising spontaneously from the navel. This is called Anahata Dhvani. Sri Ramakrishna is putting a question like Shankaracharya himself. What will you gain? Somebody may ask. By merely hearing this sound Sri Ramakrishna giving a simile. That's why it is for nothing that Sri Ramakrishna was called is greater than Kalidasa so far as similes are concerned. You hear the roar of the ocean from a distance. By following the roar you can reach the ocean. As long as there is the roar there must also be the ocean. Profound words. As long as there is the roar. Roar means Shabda. Shabda means sound. So long as there is a sound Sound means what? Nama. So long as there is a Nama that is called Shabda so long as there is a sound there must be an object indicated by it. By following the trail of Om you attain Brahman of which the world is the symbol. World Omkara is the symbol. Brahman is that which is symbolized pointing to the object of the symbol. That Brahman has been described by the Vedas as the ultimate goal. But such vision is not possible as long as you are conscious of your ego. A man realizes Brahman only when he feels neither I nor you neither one nor many. What a marvelous statements from the mouth of this Brahma Jnani. Just imagine what is happening. Ok. Something has happened. I think the electricity is gone but let us see how long it is going to continue. You have to be patient. So there should be no Ahankara. When there is no Ahankara, there is nothing to distinguish I you or one or many. There is nothing. So that is what is being said. Now we will continue to Shankaracharya. Pranaadi aatmavikalpaha avidhanav yathirekena na astihi. So avidhana means name. And what is this name of what? Prana. Prana is a name. You call it prani. Here is something that is having prana. So that is a name. That is a sound. avidhanav yathirekena na astihi. What is not? Pranaadi aatmavikalpaha. All the imaginations that are superimposed. What imaginations? The body is aatman. The mind is the aatman. The prana is the aatman. The buddhi is the aatman. The anandamaya kosha is the aatman. These are all nothing but like a person sees a garland, a streak of water, a crack in the earth or a bent stick etc. Like that all these are completely imaginations. But what is important is that all these imaginations are not mere imaginations. When we use the word imagination it most often means it is not reality. But here it is nothing but prana is brahman. Deha is brahman. Mind is brahman. So annamaya kosha is brahman. Pranamaya kosha is brahman. Manomaya kosha is brahman. Vijnanamaya kosha is brahman. Anandamaya kosha is brahman. There is nothing which is not brahman. So some of you may be feeling a little bit disturbed by this statement. You mean to say it is all brahman? Yes sir, it is all brahman. I will give a small bit funny example. Every Vaishnava claims God is in Vaikuntha. Narayana is in Vaikuntha. What does an Advaitin say? He doesn't say Narayana is not in Vaikuntha. He will never say that. What does the devotee say? Narayana is only in Vaikuntha. What does the Advaitin say? Narayana is also in Vaikuntha. What a world of difference these two statements mean. For the devotee he has to go to the temple. For the ardent devotee his goal is to go to Vaikuntha. Why? Because in Vaikuntha God is always present. But what about the temple? Temple only when I go, when the puja is kindly open the door and it is well lit and then only I can see God. Otherwise it is as good as non-existence of the God. What does Advaitin say? Advaitin say whether you see it or not God is inside the temple, outside the temple, God is the temple, God is in Vaikuntha, God is in Kailasa, God is everywhere and you cannot get anywhere where God is not. That is the difference. So from that highest point of view it is said that this world is nothing but Brahman. Then why do we say this very Advaitins go on telling, oh Jagat Mithya, Jagat Mithya. It is like this devotee saying Narayana is only in Vaikuntha, Shiva is only in Kailasa and nowhere else. To get rid of that illusions it is not to deny that the world is Mithya. It is to say the world is if you see with 100% open eyes you see only Brahman. But if you open your eyes only 1% you will see the world. If you open 2% you will see a little more of Brahman. So that is the idea. What you are seeing is not wrong but you are not having complete knowledge of the world. When you see Brahman then you understand complete knowledge of the world also. Sri Ramakrishna comes to our aid. So a man wants to know what is the difference between the roof and then rest of the house. So he is probably a follower of Gnana Marga. So he goes on climbing to the roof and he says this is not the roof this is not the roof this staircase is not the roof first floor is not the roof second floor is not the roof etc. until he reaches the roof. Once he reaches the roof what does he say? Then he has the complete knowledge about the roof. This roof is made up of brick, lime, mortar and as he comes down now his vision has opened. The staircase is also made up of brick lime and mortar. The third floor is made up of the same thing second floor is made up of the same thing first floor is also made up of the same thing. So the purpose of dvaita is not to deny dvaita but to say it is incomplete. The purpose of asishta dvaita is not to deny the asishta dvaita but to say that go forward go forward and then you will see everything is nothing but brahman. So all illusions such as prana etc. having atman for their substratum and denoted by words which are modifications of om cannot exist. So prana etc. What is prana? An object and what is the substratum of the object? Atman and what is the name of this particular object? Prana, Anna Prana, Mana Ignana, Ananda all these are names so the substratum of all the names is omkara the substratum of all the objects is atman since there is no difference between the name and the named. There is no difference between om and brahman. Therefore the whole world is nothing but nothing but brahman. Call it by the name brahman call it by the name atman call it by the name omkara so long as you understand that there is no difference, that is the highest truth. So nothing, without om, no names will exist. So without names, which are, what are the names but the modifications of om. Having for its corresponding contents such illusory objects as prana etc illusory. Illusory means not the meaning of unreal. Illusory means what we call partial manifestation of brahman that is called illusion imagine in the atman so that is why in the Chandogya Upanishad we get the most beautiful expression every speech is nothing but words so every object is nothing but only name sounds and nothing else all this related to brahman is held together by the cord of speech and strands of specific names we get this particular quotation what is this whole world it is nothing but objects with names so the substratum of the objects the existence of the objects is the modification of atman but the names the sounds, particular sounds we give for those objects are the modifications of om how they are modifications of both that is what is the visleshana, the analysis that we are going to see very soon also so this statement from the Aitare Aranika is supported by Shruti passages all these are rendered possible in experience by names etc whatever experience we have is possible only because of the names so explain now these ideas below, now let us delve into it, certain fundamental truths I want all of us to keep to hear to understand to keep in memory then it will be very easy for us to follow this Mandukya Upanishad with Shankara Basha and Karika first of all we say there is this world and in that world we also include don't say that I am separate I am outside the world I am also part of the world when I look at you I am outside you when you look at me you are outside me but all of us are within that particular world called jagat, prapancha samsara whatever name you give so what is this world? Names and forms now give me one object where it has only name or it is only form give me one example you will not get it because Nama and the object both are combined together even when you close your eyes the moment you hear Swami Dayatmananda you don't need to hear somebody shouting Swami Dayatmananda the moment you hear my voice immediately you understand oh I am hearing Swami Dayatmananda now make an experiment go on hearing what I am talking without recollecting this speech is being given by Swami Dayatmananda separate Swami Dayatmananda from the speech that is emanating from him I know you will never be able to do it I will not be able to do it nobody with a mind will be able to do it because these are not two objects they are two sides of the same coin as we say in English language so you have seen what is called dollar coin or pound coin one side there is value another side there is a figure either a queen or president of America whatever it is now look at it I will come to you and say see I want that coin only one sided coin just give me where that queen this is there I don't want the other side try it you will not succeed it if you can understand this example now you will be able to understand what I am talking about this pada and artha they cannot be separated that's why very wisely in all Indian languages so far as I know an object is called padartha what is padartha? pada means name artha means the meaning that is what we are going to come as far as possible as I mentioned this is very deep idea it is a tough idea so let us take if necessary as much time as possible but try to understand it so what is the point the whole world is nothing but nama and the vastu every vastu every object has got only is both ok alright every object there is a form and corresponding name now this word name you have to understand that the name has got certain subdivisions there is a particular sound in every language there is a particular sound for example here is a sweet or a cloth take the example of a cloth so in Indian language it is called vastra in English language it is called cloth and in Kannada language it is called batte so in other languages they will have but all meaning the same object now what I am trying to tell you is this name cannot be ignored it has to be uttered if you want to convey that to somebody or even to yourself somebody has to utter that name and you associate for eternity that name with that particular object and whenever you hear that sound that sound that particular understanding of that sound will bring to you the form, the qualities etc. so when you say an object, the idea about that object the name of the object, the qualities of the object spring into your mind and when you remember a name, the form of the object, the qualities of the object spring into your mind so I hope I am trying to make the point very clear so there is the deep connection between Nama and Rupa this is what Sri Ramakrishna says there is no difference between Nama and Namni see supposing you utter the word Narayana if a dog hears the word Narayana it makes no sense to the dog but it makes sense not to every human being also suppose there is a person he never heard the word Narayana it is a meaningless sound only so first the Nama the name its manifestation is called Shabda, sound but this particular sound takes various shapes according to the various languages chair, kurchi, etc. etc. or as Sri Ramakrishna says, water jal, pani, aqua, etc. same the object is the same is nothing but water I am using that English word water but a person who doesn't know he uses the word Jala or some other name, whatever it is but before that particularized name sticks into the mind invariably associating that object with that particular sound the generalized sound is the first manifestation and then that generalized sound through tradition from the elders, from our neighbors becomes particularized so for example you hear a Chinese uttering some sounds what is it for you? it is meaningless sounds but for him it is completely meaningful sounds so I am trying to what is the first thing? as soon as an object is experienced the first thing comes is Nama, that Nama is slowly gradually melts into Shabda it is a generalized Shabda and I will come back to this example later on this generalized sound is given a particular shape and that differs from area to area, tribe to tribe country to country, language to language as I mentioned when you say water that is a sound when you say gel, that is a sound when you say aqua, pani these are sounds for a person who repeatedly hears those sounds and associates a particular object with those sounds for that person only this artha this idea, this is what this sound particularized sound means is water that flashes in his mind only after repeated this thing, that's why supposing a child is there a child, he doesn't know the difference between I and you and anything, so I used to make fun with small children I say I point out my chest and say I am so and so say a name X name and the child same thing he imitates I am also the same sound because he cannot distinguish this particular body mind his name is separate and you are another person your name is totally different it will take time and those who teach language to people, for example tribals somewhere, they have developed a highly skillful way of conveying these things through various means and some intelligent people are picked up first, etc. now what is our point, first of all there is an object, whenever we experience that object, we don't know we know there is an object we know there is something, but what is it exactly, somebody comes along and says, oh this is a fruit, oh fruit so then he will show, this is the fruit of this particular plant, mango fruit, it is not apple fruit, it is not coconut fruit, etc. then through repetition abhyasa, we come to know that first of all mango is a generalized sound after hearing this person repeatedly pointing it to it, saying mango, mango, mango, mango then he understands that is a mango then further, this is a unripe mango this is a ripe mango this is a overripe mango this is a sour mango this is a sweet mango etc, etc, etc I hope you are getting what I am trying to say first point I made was that an object and that particular specified name and name is nothing but sound in a particular manifestation shape and that are invariably associated so that is the first point, but first it is a generalized sound then it becomes particularized sound now, generalized sound is universal whether it is Chinese whether it is British Australian, tribals 1 billion years back 1 billion years later it is all general but then, through experience through other people, they are given a particular name to distinguish one object from the other object so that sound becomes a specialized sound specialized sound and that is what implies name name means first of all what is it called? generalized sound then particularized sound now I will take you one step further today supposing here is a something and first time you are looking at it, looking means experience, looking means not only looking, it may be a smell, you are walking you can't see and something pleasant is coming then you say, what is this pleasant smell? oh, it is a flower, what flower? what is a flower? somebody will take you near that plant you see this, this is a flower this is a fragrant flower and always it gives this kind of particular fragrance that is how even Annadis can distinguish this is jasmine flavor and this is rose fragrance and this is Mughali fragrance, etc etc, so many varieties of fragrances are there all these are possible only through experience you try to describe very interesting thing suppose a person has never smelt rose smell all that he smelt was a rotting carcass explain to him how rose smell really is experienced you will find it is impossible one time at least experience is necessary so now as soon as you see say a mango, familiar example and then in the beginning you did not know but that's why you say it is something I know there is something but it is something something means generalized I don't have any specific name but it expresses through sound then somebody comes and this is called mango oh mango, mango that you get accustomed by repeating that that is how generalized sound becomes particularized why am I taking so much time because this has something to do with the illustration of Onkara I will just give a hint and then we will discuss it in the next class but what I am trying to tell you is this, it is fixed in our minds after the experience, somebody points out or we ourselves can give a name to that what is the name? a particular sound made in a particular way to convey it to others that is the greatness of human beings they can convey their knowledge to anybody through language so that is how language spreads very fast among human beings which is impossible for any animal so far as we know here is a fruit it is called mango it is not coconut, it is not any apple it is only mango so first it is mango m-a-n-g-o is a generalized sound and put together it gives a particularized sound which we call pronunciation and as soon as we pronounce anybody who had once this experience what happens you know the meaning of that word this is called artha the idea about it what idea means what? it is a mango its color is like that shape is like that, size is like that its fragrance is like that it weighs like this and it tastes like this complete knowledge, whatever knowledge we have received earlier the whole thing becomes combined in the mind and that is what is called artha so this is what our Vedanta is striving to convey and which we use in our Indian languages every object is a pada artha pada means shabda, artha means its meaning when you hear it even with closed eyes immediately you can imagine what it is and when you experience it the idea flashes in the mind so an object and the generalized sound about that object immediately it becomes specified particularized which is called its name and this name along with the object creates a wonderful idea or meaning into the mind so much is involved in this so for our analysis purpose keep in mind only two things here is an object and here is an idea with a particular way of sound plus meaning so object is outside but the sound which becomes specialized sound which is soon endowed with a particular meaning meaning means here qualities etc this is internalized so this artha is outside and padartha is inside outside is the world inside is the idea about that world I will just give you a hint this is a beautiful deep subject I hope you are able to understand what I am trying to convey to you but with this last thought I will stop this class what is that last class? you know to make a sound all sounds come from where? from the throat every sound comes only even if you make a nasal sound also the root is from your lungs only when you breathe in the air goes in that air until it reaches sound box which is in our throat beginning from the throat and ends with the lips it is all called sound box it is generalized sound this generalized sound is manifested first first manifestation of the generalized sound is called akara any one of you just put your finger here and then try to utter something when you come here it changes its shape but when you are here at the root that is called root that is called akara that is why Bhagavan Krishna takes the trouble to say aksharanam akarahasmi the whole universe is made up of dictionary all the words in the dictionary are made up of sounds all the sounds are divided into it is what you call the vowels and consonants and all these are springing only from a after that these are all modified e, o, o, au, um these are all modifications of akara but the root is akara that is why the lord says I am among the aksharas akara so certain profound ideas we have discussed it to summarize what is the three points we say that an object is called that is what is called padartha that is to say its size its shape, its fragrance, whatever it is there is something which supposedly to be external, physical and it must be specified by a particular sound called nama and when it is through rudi, through abhyasa it is passed on through other people that is called language and whenever we hear or see something or remember something the idea, this is a mango its meaning and when you see a mango this is a mango, this is its meaning so meaning and the object inextricably get mixed up nama and artha can never be separated, that is what is the meaning of nama and namani the name and the named named is the object named is the sound etc this is the first point, second point that every nama starts with a generalized sound through habit through tradition, culture it acquires a specific manifestation called visesha shabda that is the second point and this visesha shabda creates a kind of complete meaning within our minds so that we can act and react towards that object, what to do, what not to do for example even with closed eyes, a snake is running towards you the moment you hear, you don't try whether it is right or wrong you jump up, afterwards you try to verify it, or a tiger etc so action reaction depends upon what meaning we have associated with that particular sound etc this is the third point last point I mentioned all the shabdas their origin is only one, what is it? until the air reaches the root of this sound box no shabda is possible please keep this in mind, I will stop here om jananem shardam devim ramakrishnam jagadgurum padapadmetayo srithva pranamami muhurmaho may Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti and understanding let him give us the buddhi to understand what we are discussing here Ramakrishna