Mandukya Karika Lecture 023 on 3 October 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Muhur Muhur Om Bhadram Kanne Vishruniya Madevaha Bhadram Pashye Maksha Bhirya Jatraha Sthirai Rangai Stushtu Vagum Sastanu Bhi Vyashema Devahi Tanyadayu Swasthina Indro Vriddha Shravaha Swasthina Poosha Vishwa Vedaha Swasthina Starksho Arishta Nimi Swasthina Ombriha Spathir Dadaatu 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 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. In our last class of the Mandukya Upanishad with Gauda Padakarika and Shankara Bhashya, we have been exploring the third mantra. But before that, I would like all of us to remember some things which is very, very important for us. What is it that I want all of us to remember? There are these fundamental facts. Every time, probably I will repeat that so long as necessary. Here are six points. First, whatever I experience is not me, is different completely from me. Second, whatever I experience is called an object. I, the experiencer, is the subject. Three, no object can be experienced without its qualities. Four, every object is distinguished only through the qualities. Four, a quality cannot be separated from the object. Five, and any quality that I experience belongs to the object and not to me. Six, and whatever I experience is mithya because it is depending upon me to cognize it and everything that I experience is changing. It has a birth and it has a death, etc., etc., these qualities of what we call vastu, object. So, analyze, taking these six points, when we are exploring, what are we exploring? That I experience. That means I experience, you experience, everybody experiences. What? The waking state universe, jagra davastha, the dream state experience, the svapna avastha, and the causal universe, the sushupti avastha. Since I experience them, their objects, since their objects, they have birth and death. Since they have birth and death, they are all changing. Since they are changing, they are mithya. But throughout, when I am experiencing jagra davastha, I am there. Similarly, I am there in the dream state, svapna avastha. I am also there in the sushupti avastha. I never change. So, therefore, they are all objects. They are all mithya. They have birth and death. They are changing all the time, and they are contradicting each other. And I alone am satyam, the observer of all these three. So, these three observed universes are mutually exclusive because they are contradicting themselves all the time. And they are subject to arrival and departure. When one state comes to an end, that is the death of that state. When another state begins, that is the birth of another state. So, all the three continuously changing from one to the other, from birth to death, from life after life. But I am the sakshi. I am the subject. I am present all through. I do not arrive, neither do I depart. I am the witness principle, the sakshi. I am aware of the waking universe in the waking state. I am aware of the dream universe so long as I am in the dream state. And I am aware of the causal universe, that is the deep sleep state, so long as I am there until it ends. I am associated with all these. As what? As an observer, as a sakshi. So, now a very important point we have to keep in mind. Even though I am the unchanging, eternal, one witness, but the Upanishad gives me, me the observer, the sakshi, three different names based upon my relationship with these three observed universes. Let us take an example. Here is a man. When he goes to his office, he is an officer. When he goes to a club, he is a club member. When he goes for swimming, he is a swimmer. A swimmer doesn't behave like a club member. A club member doesn't behave like an officer. But apart from all these, these are not only three, but just as an example. He can be a husband, he is a father, he is a son, he is a grandson, he is a wife or she is a wife or etc., etc. But he is also completely separate from everything. Simply, I am a simple man. Like that, the pure consciousness, I the one observer, I am given three different names. Just as this person, when he goes to do his job, he is called an officer. When he goes and participates in something, he is called a club member. When he goes for swimming, he is called a swimmer. If he is cooking, he is called a cooker. If he is sleeping, he is called a sleeper. But he is also somebody who is totally independent of all these functions. So, even though I am the Vishwa, I am the Taijasa, I am the Prajna, at the same time, I do not change, I do not come, arrive and depart, but I use these three states to experience them as a subject, as an experiencer. And therefore, I am separate from them and all the qualities that belong to the waking, that belong to the dream, that belong to the deep sleep, do not belong to me, but belong to those respective states. So, when I become a participant as well as an observer of the waking universe, I am called Prathamapada or the first quarter called Vishwa. Remember, Vishwa and Virat, they are inseparable. One is the particularized individual name. Another name is universal, altogether is called universal name. In this case, in the waking state, it is called Virat or Vaishwanara. So, Vishwa is from the individual point. Virat or Vaishwanara is from the cosmic or universal point of view. Similarly, when I am participating and observing the dream universe, I am called this Dvitiya Pada, the second quarter. I am called individually as Taizasa and I am called universally, cosmically as Hiranyagarbha. And when I am experiencing deep sleep state, which is called the third Pada, Dvitiya Pada, I am called Pragna as an individual. I am called Ishwara as the universal or cosmic person. Thus, I have three relational names. These are the first three quarters called Prathamapada, Dvitiya Pada, Tritiya Pada. Now, the Upanishad particularly says, I have a fourth Pada, Turiya Pada. We should never misunderstand this fourth Pada. Just like the other three Padas, I am an experiencer, I am an observer. No, I do not experience my Turiya state. I do not witness as an observer my Turiya state. I am not a state at all. I am Turiya, pure consciousness. But for the sake of easier understanding, it is called fourth Pada, only just to distinguish it from the other three Padas. So, this is an important point we have to put up in our mind. We should never ever think that Turiya is another Pada. Pada means that which is participated, that which is experienced. Turiya is not an experience, experienceable something as separate from me. So, the word experience in English language is I, for example, I am seeing a chair. So, the chair is the object, I am the subject. So, I am experiencing the chair. But when I say I am beyond these three states, I don't use that word like chair because I am not separate from myself. Otherwise, we have to posit as if I am separate and I am experiencing. No. So, simply it is for the facility of understanding, it is called the fourth state, but it is pure state without any limitation. That is important point. So, these are the three relational names. Why relation? Relation means always a connection that exists between two existing things. I am there, waking state is there. I am there, the dim state is there. I am there, the deep sleep state is there. So, I have to forge a relationship and that is why my relational name. So, for example, I am a husband. So, that means what? I have a wife in relation only with the wife, I am called a husband. I am called a father only in relationship with my children. I am called a son only with the relationship with my father and mother. So, that is how relationships are there. What for? For the sake of facilitating transactions, that's all. Transactions means what? This person is known, I can interact in one way. This person is a stranger, I have to interact in a different way. So, my relationship with different objects dictates what type of thinking or transaction I am going to do with that particular person. So, these three states are mithya. Mithya means avidya or maya. Because of maya, I am identifying myself with these three only one after the other. At the same time, not even two. When I am in the waking state, I am the waker. Only when it ends, my second state starts which is called dream state. Then I am a dreamer. Then when that ends, then only the third called deep sleep, sushupti avastha starts. When it ends, again waking state, dream state, deep sleep state, it goes on and on and on. So, here we have to remember very important point. When we are studying the mandukya, the same rule that we just now discussed applies to the universal also. What is it? At the same time, I am an individual and I am also part of the whole universe in the waking state, dream state, as well as the deep sleep state. Simple example I am giving. So, I have a hand. What is that part called? Hand. So, it has an individual existence with a specialized function of grasping things. But at the same time, it is part of the entire body. The body, I cannot be called a body if I am lacking hands, legs. If somebody takes apart all these parts, then nothing remains. A collective name for all these parts together is called the body. Like that, this whole universe, including my body and all the so-called objects, everything that I am experiencing, including the mind, it is all part of the prapancha. It is at the same time universal. At the same time, it is individual. This is a very important point to remember. That is why when there is the waking state, both as an individual and as a universal, I am called Vishwa and as well as Virat. Similarly, in the dream state, as an individual, I am called Taiyasa. In the universal state, I am called Hiranyagarbha or Sutratma. And in the deep sleep state called Sushupti Avastha, as an individual, I am called Prajna. But as a universal, I am called Eshwara. This is a very, very important point. If we do not understand, not only am I an individual, but I am part of the universe. I cannot exist without my being a part of the entire universe. It is impossible. My existence itself is not possible. So, when we are talking about the analysis of these three states, we have to keep both these in mind, as an individual as well as a universal. Where is the necessity? The question comes now, why do I want to know me, myself, as an universal? Because life evolves. What is evolution? One definition of evolution is, more and more, the body becomes a better body, the mind becomes a better mind, the intellect becomes a better intellect, the goal becomes a better goal, sadhana becomes a better sadhana. And so, always moving from the lower to the higher, from the small to the bigger, that is called evolution. So, ultimately, we have to evolve to the greatest. That is why, from the universal, if I, for example, identify myself only as an individual, I remain absolutely self, isolated, and very soon, I have to suffer. This is a very, very important point. I can never live without others. If there were no father, mother, family, and community, language, religion, almost I will be a dead person, or an idiot. I will never gain anything. Always we are both individuals and universals. But the tragedy is, we do not emphasize the universal side of our nature. So, evolution is to gradually expand my individuality until I become completely identical with the universal. And this also progresses in three steps. The first step is in the external world, called jagrata avastha. From the jagrata avastha, as an individual, and I merge myself in there. That means, anybody's happiness in the world is my happiness. Anybody's unhappiness is my unhappiness. Anybody's joy is my joy. Anybody's grief is my grief. This is how I become what is called evolved. I gradually manifest my complete divinity. So, divinity is never manifested in the singular, in the individual. It is a terrible mistake to think I can be a god individually. Individual, the very word individual means that which cannot be divided. Indivisible is called individual. That's why Swamiji makes fun. You are claiming you are an individual. Why should I bother with the others? At first you become individual. Then we talk about your statement. We are divided now. But we have to endeavor, do sadhana, so that I can become more and more identified, with more and more, bigger and bigger, so that the more big I become, the less fearful I become, the less helpless I become, the more joy will come. That is the very structure of this universe. And everything is evolving into that. So, Mandukya Upanishad specially deals with division of our entire life into three segments, parts. What is it? Jagrat, Swapna and Sushukti. So, this Vekar's Jagrat means what? Vekar's universe. What does it mean? It includes this universe, this body, this mind, this reflected consciousness, is experienced in the waking state and only in the waking state. But when we come to dream state, Swapna Vastha, dreamer's universe, which includes the dream universe, the dream body and the reflected consciousness, these are available only in the dream state. Both the Vekar's and the dreamer's universes are totally different and mutually exclusive. But both are experienced by me, so both are by definition Mithya. What about Sushukti? A deep sleep state in which the Vekar's and the dreamer's, both universes, are not experienced. In fact, they become merged in their causal state. But that's why this deep sleep state is called Sushukti Vastha, Karana Vastha. That means it becomes a cause, like a seed contains the entire tree in a very potential form. So everything is in a potential causal state. Everything means what? The waking universe as well as the dream universe is in a causal state. So the universe obtained in the deep sleep state is called the causal universe. But I, who experience this causal universe as an individual, is called Prajna. As a universal, I am called Ishwara. Remember that rule. Nobody can experience individuality alone. Individual is always part of the universal. In fact, even that very name, individual, is only when there is the background universal. If you say one drop, that one name indicates billions and billions of tons of water. So this third Mandukya Upanishad mantra is going to give a brief description of the waking state. I told you third mantra talks about Jagradha Vastha and fourth mantra is talking about the dream world, Swapna. And the sixth and seventh, two mantras, are going to talk about Sushukti, deep sleep. Why? Because most people do not understand properly or only partially understand, including the greatest psychologists and physicists or scientists, about the nature of the deep sleep. It is only this particular Hindu scripture called Mandukya Upanishad. All the Upanishads talk about these three states continuously. So this third mantra begins with, first of all, earlier he said chatushpath, means four quarters. Now in this, I am going to describe you the mantra as if telling to us, I am going to describe to you what I promised about the four quarters. So the fourth one is called Turiya, but as I mentioned earlier, it contains all these, without the Turiya, the three states cannot even exist. But at the same time, it is unlimited, it is undividable, it is pure consciousness. So the Turiya, pure consciousness, can remain without these three, but these three cannot even exist without that Turiya. So the third mantra is going to talk about the Jagradhavasta, waking state, description of the Jagradh or waking state. So let us have a background knowledge of the waking state for easier understanding, grasping of the subject. Now here, we will take the help of the beautiful Vedantic, what is called, treatise, called Tattvabodha. It is what is called the technical manual for understanding Vedanta. All the terminologies that are normally used in the Padvaita Vedanta are explained what each term really means. So this Tattvabodha help we will take because it is very very clearly, it gives description, division, etc. Now when the Upanishads or any scripture is talking, it has two models. A model is meant for easier understanding. So all the Upanishads and all scriptures are dependent upon the Upanishads only. Upanishads are the Mulagranthas. So all the scriptures take the two models to make us understand that we do not, even while experiencing, we do not belong to these models. We have to go, by denying them, far beyond that model-less nature of, true nature of the Atman, which is our true nature. What are these two models? One is called Sharirathrayam, another is called Panchakosha. In the Taittiriya Upanishad, Panchakosha, both in the 2nd Valli, Brahmananda Valli, as well as in the 3rd Valli, Bhrigu Valli, very beautifully described. In other Upanishads also we get. But in Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya and other Upanishads, Sharirathrayam, three bodies, experiencing three bodies, three names of consciousness or reflected consciousness, experiencing three states of experiences, each separate from each other, each mutually exclusive from the other, each completely limited, just to indicate that the Atman is far beyond. It is to indicate these two things. Without Atman, these states cannot exist. Second point, that Atman can exist without all of them because it is independent, it is eternal, it is unchanging, it is unborn, etc. So in this, Panchakosha is not given that much of importance. Only Sharirathrayam, Avasthathrayam. Sharira means three bodies, Avastha means three states. So if there is a body and sense organs, of course, then that is the Sthula Deha. Then what is experienced through the help of those Indriyas is called Sthula Prapancha. So this is the analysis we are going to do, deep analysis with regard to the both waking state, Jagradha Avastha, Swapna Avastha and Sushupti Avastha. So Sharirathrayam means three, threefold bodies of the individual. So what are the three? First we know that the Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira, Karana Sharira. Sthula Sharira experiences the Sthula Prapancha with what instruments, for what purpose, what is its nature and what are the components and what is the goal. This we will shortly explore. Similarly, Swapna Sharira experiences dream universe, Swapna Prapancha with the help of not external Indriyas but pure mind consisting of Buddhi, Chitta and Manas and Ahamkara. And of course Panchapranas are there. So the Shariram is also called Deha. So let us take these three bodies, three states, etc. So what are the three bodies? Sthula Shariram or Sthula Deha. This is called gross body. Sukshma Shariram or Sukshma Deha. This is called subtle body. Karana Shariram or Karana Deha. It is called causal body. So while analyzing these above three states, three bodies, three types of experiences, we have to take four factors into consideration. What are the four factors? That first of all, what is the Jagradhavasta? So what is Jagradhavasta? Waking state. What is the waking state? Chidabhasa. Reflected consciousness plus mind plus body which consists of five Jnana Indriyas, five Karma Indriyas, five Pranas, etc. We will come to the details there. What is the dream state made up of? Reflected consciousness plus mind only. All the Indriyas and others are left behind. Panchapranas are there. What is the deep sleep state? Reflected consciousness plus pure undifferentiated ignorance. So let us analyze each one of these states taking into consideration four factors. What are those four factors? So what is the material out of which each body is made? That is the raw material which we always see. A simple example will be supposing an ornament is made out of gold. What is the necklace? What is the raw material? Gold. So what is the purpose to put around the neck? That is the Prayojana. What is the purpose? So that the person who is putting on is considered both as rich as well as beautiful. What is the consideration? That when others consider me, respect me, I get happiness. Remember this important point. I am emphasizing so many important points. You have to keep them in mind. If you can remember all of them, you are blessed people. Otherwise write down and try to remember them. Remember, what is the Jagratavastu meant for? So that we can attain Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. What is the Sushuptiavastu meant for? Same, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. What is the Sushuptiavastu meant for? For the same purpose, to achieve Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. How do we get this? Only through proper analysis. Remember, each soul is potentially divine. Life is for the manifestation of potential divinity. And this potential divinity can be manifested gradually, slowly. Only by conscious usage of Jagratavastu, Swapnavastu and Sushuptiavastu. Finally, understanding that all these three are limited. I, the potential divinity, is not limited. I support them. Because of me, they exist. But I go far beyond them. It is for this purpose. So, let us now consider each one of these four factors. What are the four factors? First of all, the raw material out of which each body is made. What body are we talking about? Sthula Sharira and Sukshma Sharira and Karana Sharira. Remember, only three bodies are there. Three states are there. Not two, not four, only three. Okay, what is the second factor? So, what are the components of each body? The parts that make up that particular body. What is the third one? What is the special nature of each body? What is the fourth one? What is the function or goal of each body? So, what is the raw material? What are the components? What is the nature? And what is the function, purpose, goal? Keeping in mind, let us go back. First, Sthula Shariram, gross body. What is it? What is the material? What are the four factors? First is material. So, what is the material? What is the material out of which the gross body is made? So, what is the material? Very beautifully, five gross elements. Pancha, Sthula, Dhotani. That is why entire universe is called Prapancha. Pancha means five. Prapancha means a combination of only these five. There is no sixth element at all. What are them? By this time, you must be quite well aware of them. Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Apaha, Jalam and Prithvi and the Earth. So, these five elements, gross five elements, remember, with which the gross body and gross universe is made up of, are made up of these five gross elements. They are a combination of these five elements. And they are experienced with Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha. That is sound, then touch, then form, then taste and then smell. So, since the entire Sthula Prapancha, which includes, remember, all the Sthula Shariras, is made out of the Sthula Pancha Bhutani, this body is called Pancha, Bhautika, Deha or Shariram. Bhautika means gross, concrete, external elements. This is the material of every body, whether it is mosquito, whether it is Brahma, etc. Okay. What is the second factor? Components. What are the components? So, the next factor is, what are the components? What are the components of this particular thing? Indriyas. Mainly it is Indriyas. Our body is consistent. Of course, Pranas are there, but I am not talking. Pranas are subtle elements, but here I am talking about five Karma Indriyas, five Jnana Indriyas, five inputs, five outputs, five which gather and bring knowledge, five how to act and react with those things. So, these are the components. So, what is the function? Function of this Sthula Sarira. So, by proxy, all the Sthula Sariras. What is it? The scriptures point out that the body is only a temporary residence used by a particular individual according to one's own past Karma. This gross body is only a rented house. And what is the payment in the form of Karma? Whether it is eating, sleeping, defecating, and going earning money, anything that we do is called Karma. And through Karma, we do either Dharma or Adharma. We gather either Punya or Bapa. Then we experience Sukha as well as Dukha. Then that leads to Raga and Dvesha, likes and dislikes, attachment and what is called detachment. So, these again make us act accordingly and we accumulate more Karma, more Karmaphala, more Punya Bapa, and more Sukha, Dukha, more attachment, more what is called indifference, etc., etc. So, therefore, the body is a residence given to us. Tattvabodha uses this particular body, Ayatnam. Ayatnam means abode. Abode means where a pilgrim takes rest for a short time, finishes his pilgrimage, and then leaves it and goes away, like Dharmashala, like a hotel, etc. So, with the help of this body and mind, the Jivatma starts his evolution back to his origin. What is involution? It is falling down from God. What is evolution? After understanding, I have become distanced from my real Self, going back to my real Self, which is called God, which is called Brahman, which is called Atma Jnana or Brahma Jnana, or God Realization, Self Realization, that is called evolution. It is for this particular purpose, this instrument is necessary. If you want to go to another village, you need your legs, or a cart, or a bicycle, or a car, or a train, or an aeroplane, something or other you need, that is an instrument. So, these Karmendriyas are nothing but instruments, but what is the nature of the Sharira? This Bhautika Sharira, Sthula Sharira, God's body, what is its nature? Firstly, the body is a continuously, constantly changing nature. One second, as soon as a baby is born, we are apt to ask, how old is the baby? Old means what? Already the body, few hours birth of the body, is already become one day old, two days old, one year, two years, and just by, before you even take notice, you are 90 years old, and time has come for quitting. So, this is, what is the nature of the body? First of all, changing. This is called Savikaram, Savikaratvam, changeful nature. And this change, takes place through six steps. Six steps. So, it's this Tattvabodha, Tattvabodha, that what is called, preliminary manual, for understanding, what is Vedanta, what are the terminologies, or technical jargon, and how do we understand. Every student of Vedanta, must study, this Tattvabodha, or Vedantasara, there are a few books are there, but Tattvabodha has become very popular, because of its simplified, way of explaining, what is all their, jargon involved in this, Advaita Vedanta. By Vedanta means Advaita Vedanta. So, Tattvabodha tells, and some of you may be interested in the Sanskrit, so I am quoting. So, what is it? This is called Shariram. What is it? Any word. What were the, enjoy, experience, and exhaustion, of Sukha and Dukha. And it is, a human body. Any other body can come, because of Papa, or whatever. But human body is available only, as Vivekachudamani says, only by the grace of God. Only these three are possible. What are they? A human birth, and a desire for Moksha, and the favorable, company, of great souls. Only obtainable, by the grace of God. So, human body, remember, even the worst person's human body, if the person has done, lot of good karma, that is why human body has come. Otherwise, it would be, an Asura's body, or an animal body, or a body of a plant, or an insect, whatever it is. So, tremendous amount of Punya Karmas, that is why, Satkarma Janya. And then it is made up of what? Panchikrita Panchamahabhutai. Five elements, mixed, in a particular technological way, that is called Panchikarnam. So, this, gross body, is made up of, five elements, through that, in the past lives, we are all believers in the past lives, we have done lot of Punya Karma, as a result, we obtained this, human body. Every human being has to be, commended, respected, because he must have done, good things. But, whether we continue, doing these great things, good things, whether we, even increase those great things, or we have got to, some kind of will power, so we can go down also. That is why, Patanjali Rishi, he says, Jati, Ayubhoga, depends upon our, Purojanmakrita, Karmaphala. Jati means, in which species, we are born. Here, we are talking about, human birth. Then, how long this human body, is going to stay, only, so long as, our, payment, is paid. It could be, one hour, one second, 100 years, 120 years, everything depends not upon the food, we do, upon the exercise, we do, upon the environment, nothing of this sort. It all totally depends upon, our past karma, this Ayurveda, is totally dependent upon, past karma. Then, what is the third one? Within each, human body, every human body, every individual, how much that individual, is destined, to experience happiness, or to experience, unhappiness, grief, suffering, that is also dictated only, by the Purojanmakrita, Punya or Bapa. You cannot increase it, you cannot decrease it. You can have a billion things, if you are a rich person, but it has nothing to do, with happiness or unhappiness. A poor man could be extremely happy, and a rich man could be, very very unhappy. This great delusion, we are cherishing, is the number of, more number of things we have, the greater is our happiness, the less number of things, unhappiness is also more, or less of happiness. This is a total Brahma, we have to get rid of it. So, what is its nature? Changefulness. How does it change? Our Vedanta gives, a technical term, sixfold changes. What are the sixfold changes? They are called, Shatvikara. What are them? Asti, Jayate, Vardhate, Viparinamate, Apakshiyate, Vinashyateeti, Shatvikaravat, Etat, Stolasarira. Asti, means conception. When male and female, come together, then this Asti takes place sometimes, not always, not necessarily, but sometimes it takes place. And that is called conception. But once the, fetus is conceived, doesn't mean, that it goes on. Second thing is confirmation. That is, it is not going to immediately encounter death. It is going to live for some time. That is called Jayate. Then Vardhate. Then it starts growing. A fetus is born as a baby, baby into adolescent, adolescent into youth, youth into middle age, middle age into old age, old age into all sorts of decrepit problems. So, this is Vardhate, grows. Viparidamate. After certain age, the downward, first we go up like a vertical rod. Then it plateaus. Then it is horizontal growth. Let us say, from birth to 20th year, vertical growth. From 20th onwards, horizontal growth. Up to, let us say, 35 years. Approximately. And from 35 onwards, gradually it slopes down and down and down and down. So then, middle age comes. That is called middle age. And then old age. And then, decrepition of the body. Decrepitude of the body. And finally, death will come. So, this is called Viparidama. Viparidama means changes. At first slow, and then fast. Then, Apakshiyate. Then what happens? Decay or aging. Growing old. That is what happens. Kshina means what? Becoming weaker. Becoming older. Becoming less energetic. Becoming less able to experience. Less able to enjoy. Suffer more, etc. Apakshiyate. That is the fifth one. Then finally, sixth Vikara. What is called? Vinasyate. Mrityu. Maranam. Death of the body. After which, nobody can keep it even for a second longer. All the above changes put together are called Shad Vikara. Then what is the special nature of the Stola Sharira? It is experienceable by everybody. My Stola Sharira, the whole world can see. A mosquito can see. An ant can see. A tiger can see. Anybody with physical body can see my physical body. I can see everybody's physical body. Any gross element I can see. And any prani, living being with a gross body can also through the gross Indriyas can see me. So this is called experienceability. Including my body only. Then it has got special what is called time period. Species, lifespan, experience of pain and pleasure that means longevity, how long we are going to live. So this is called duration of life. This is called shelf life. This is called manufacturing date and expiry date shelf life. We cannot extend it excepting very special occasions when a Mahapurusha for a particular purpose has the power to extend it but it is very rare. So this is called Sharira. Why is it called Sharira? Because Sharira means its nature is gradual decay. The moment it is born it starts changing, decaying, etc. Even while growing it starts decaying. That is why it is called Deha. The word Deha is derived from the root Di. That means Upachaya, Apachaya, Di. That which is subject to growth as well as to downward trend, expansion and contraction that is why it is called Deha Upachaya, Apachaya. Upachaya means that growth. Apachaya means it into destruction. So that is the third factor, nature. What is the purpose? Fourth factor for the acquisition of Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha four fruits of life according to Hinduism. So that is the four factors that belong to this Sthula Sharira. Let us remember again once more that this pure gross body cannot function without Pranas, without mind and without the reflected consciousness. What is Sthula Sharira? How does it Sthula Avastha reflected consciousness called Chidabasa plus mind which includes Buddhi, Chitta and Ahankara plus Pancha Pranas plus of course these five Jnanendriyas, five Karmendriyas with all their functions, positivity and negativity etc. This is the background with which we will go to the mantras. So the first Pada that means the Jagrad Avastha that means this physical body, this gross body is our life in the function of the gross body is being graphically described. I will just quote the mantra only today from next class onwards. With this background we can understand Shankara Bhashya and Gaudu Pada Karikas also will come later on. Actually Gaudu Pada Karikas come only after the sixth mantra. Until that only Shankara Bhashya is there. So third mantra Jagarithasthanaha Bahishpragnaha Saptahangaha Ekona Vimshatimukaha Stholabhuk Vaishvanaraha Prathamaha Pada Prathamaha Pada means first quarter. What is it called? Vaishvanara. Whose sphere of activity? The waking state, Jagrad Avastha. And who becomes conscious of the external objects and who has seven limbs, nineteen mouths and whose experience consists of only gross material, concrete objects. So we will stop here and then next we will take up the details with Shankara Bhashya as I mentioned. Om Janamihim Sharadaam Deivim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padmetayoh Sritva Pranamami Mohur Moho May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all.