Bhagavad Gita Ch15 part 08 on 25 July 2021: Difference between revisions
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May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda | May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda | ||
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[[Category:Bhagavad Gita]] |
Latest revision as of 04:21, 26 August 2024
Full Transcript(Not Corrected)
Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Chanuram Arthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadho Gavo Dogda Gopalanandanah Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdam Geetam Ritam Mahat Mukam Karuthi Vachalam Pangum Langayate Girim Yad Kripatamaham Vande Paramanandam Adhavam We are studying the 15th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita in our last class yesterday night. The absolutely doubtless statement by God Himself. Of course when we say God Himself we must have that initial faith. Bhagavan Krishna is none other than that Paramatma and through His mouth. That's why it is called Bhagavad Gita. Gita means song. You know it is called a song when you hear some prose it may not be very pleasant. But the same prose when it is put in a poetical form, in a bhajan form, singing form then it is very pleasant. Of course depending upon who is singing but it goes very easily inside. That's why it is Gita means a song. Song of the Lord as if joyfully He is singing. Is there a singing called VP singing? Yes so many ragas are there like Bhairavi in some cases, Moolthani in some other cases. But this is Bhagavad Gita. We all have faith. I may not be a great person but definitely I have strong faith. Watch every single word that escaped from the Lord is absolute truth because truth cannot say or do anything other than truth. Paramatma is Satyam. So no Asatyam can ever issue. It is impossible. Just imagine light can never produce darkness. It is impossible. Light will always be light. So what is the Lord telling? What we consider I am so and so. I am male. I am female. I am Hindu. I am Indian. I speak such and such a language. I like some people, hate some people. These are the normal characteristics of a Jeevatma. The highest truth is filtered through the body first then the mind next and so we consider ourselves as broken, a small piece. But one thing is absolutely amazing. Nobody ever thinks I do not exist. Nobody ever thinks I do not exist. Everybody thinks that I am that means I exist. Does he think I was not? I was in the past and then I will be in the future. Even if someone has to think after death perhaps I won't be there. But even to think I won't be there he has to be there. Now supposing this is the final life. After that there would be no existence. What is the advantage? Then all problems finished. Problems come only to a person who is existing and sometimes they are pleasant problems, sometimes very unpleasant problems and sometimes unpleasant problems presenting in the form of pleasant experiences and sometimes very pleasant experiences but deeply hidden is a tremendous amount of problems. Sometimes tremendous amount of suffering but behind it a tremendous amount of joy about to be manifested like climbing. People climb a mountain just to open your eyes and see how much they have to struggle. At that period of struggle if anybody thinks life is nothing but full of suffering only and these climbers never think like that. The nearer they are approaching the happier they are. A studious student never thinks my spending hours and hours in study is an unpleasant task. Yes the present effort is not very pleasant, very nice to go to bed or go on watching something later but the anticipated result will give him so much joy and pulls it on. This is called life. This is called the individual Jeeva's life. But the question comes can we avoid problems? Can we always be happy? The categorical answer is yes. Is there such a being called always exists, no changes take place and he knows everything, he has all the power, Sarva Shaktimaan and he is infinitely eternally happy. In simple words Sat Chit Anandam. Yes, if such a person is there can I attain him? I will give you a funny answer. Many times I have given you but we need to remind ourselves. No, you can never attain him. What? A Jeeva can never attain the Supreme Soul? Never. You cannot attain because you are already there. Suppose you are dreaming and you have tremendous amount of difficulties in some other place and you wish yesterday before I started my journey, I was so happy lying in my own bed after having nice dinner and then even then after three hours I felt terribly hungry and I just opened my fridge, took out ice cream, had very satisfactory experience and again went back to sleep and woke up very refreshed and highly satisfied. Oh my God! Why did I do this foolish thing? Why did I leave such a wonderful resting place? And I voluntarily in spite of many times the advice of close friends, well-wishers, I have come here. Now only my brain has started functioning and then somebody who is following you or who is threatening you gives you a big blow and then you wake up and you found out you have never left your bed. You are only dreaming all these things. Then you understand that I have not attained something which I did not attain. I attained means I only understood that I have never been away from my own nature. That is the meaning of saying individual soul such a thing doesn't exist. Therefore the individual soul becoming the universal soul never exists. That fact is confirmed. Yesterday I devoted whole hour for that. Mammayeva Amshaha Jeevaloke In this world of Jeevas. Why is it called Jeevaloka? Loka means world. World means an experience. World means the action called an experiencer experiencing something through the medium of certain instruments and that is called experience and that is called this world Loka and without Jeeva. Jeeva means reflected consciousness. Without that reflected consciousness, small, apparently small consciousness, it is not possible to experience these things. Therefore is Jeevaloke in this world of men where the conscious beings who think they are living beings, whether it is animals or mosquito, they experience this world and every such experiencer, Mammayeva Amshaha is my own part. Yesterday I cautioned you. Amshaha means part. God doesn't have any parts. But because we think we are parts, the Lord is gently teaching like a grown-up teacher teaching to a small kindergarten baby that this is for apple, etc. Amshaha means I am the full. But for the moment, yes, I am a part. I am also having the same nature because the part can never have any other nature. Part and whole, there is a relationship. But as spiritual progress continues, this causal relationship, I am the effect. God is the cause. God is the creator. I am the created. This world is also created by God. This relationship, tripartite relationship, God, me and the world. Who am I? A part of God. Slowly melts. All these three angles like ice cream, when the heat of the mouth is applied as ice cream melts and the white color and the yellow color and the red color, everything becomes ekakara, one form. So like that, finally, what remains is nothing but pure satisfaction. What is ice cream? Pure satisfaction, pure joy, so long as that experience lasts. So jiva-bhutah, that divine Lord, I have become jiva-bhutah. I have become the jiva, as if, not really. Sanatanah, I am eternal because the eternal is changeless. Eternal is infinite. Infinite is that which is changeless. Finite is that which changes. But infinite can never become finite. But it appears to be finite because of the time-space causation prism through which, like a mirror, we view ourselves. There is a convex mirror or concave mirror. Our reflections appear to be completely separate. So what does this jiva do? He is as if born. He is as if dead. So that is the second truth. What is the first truth? There is only God exists. I am not using the word Brahman. God, the highest aspect of reality, alone exists. And if anybody thinks I am separate from God, part of God or separate from God, these are all wrong notions created because of the curtain of maya. We are looking at our own reflections through the prism of maya, which is nothing but time-space causation. So this jiva, Sanatanah, what does he do? He is as if endowed. God has gifted him six things. Five organs of knowledge and one organ, which integrates the partial knowledge's information and turns into knowledge, which is called mind. Five sense organs of knowledge plus one mind is called shashtani, indriyani, prakruti sthani. This jiva is born and he has got body-mind complex. And because of prarabdha karma, earlier birth, the result of the earlier birth. In this birth, this particular body has come. So this body has not been created by anybody, but we ourselves begged for it. We desired for it. We ardently wished for it. And we worked for it. We paid for it in the form of actions done in the previous birth. Therefore, if anybody thinks I am a very beautiful person, he has done a good job. If anybody thinks I am an ugly person, I should have been born as a beautiful person. Definitely he or she was responsible. But if any ugly person thinks I am quite happy with whatever I have obtained, he is even more fortunate person. And a beautiful person endowed with riches, power, position, suffers from mental problems, he must have done the most horrendous activities as a result of which everything, even though God has bestowed everything and that too some good actions the soul had done, but he is most unfortunate. He or she cannot enjoy this fact confirmation. We had past births and we are going to have future births. This is another fact that has been confirmed. And Hindus, who is a Hindu, whoever believes in these statements of Bhagwan Krishna, Upanishads, etc., Vedas, he is a Hindu. And even Christianity, even Islam doesn't believe death is the end of life. If they behave properly according to the dictates of Allah as has been outlined in the Quran, such a person goes to paradise, will remain with Allah and then he will be enjoying only. There is no place there for suffering. Christianity, he will go to the kingdom of heaven, be in the presence of God and there the question of further and nearer doesn't arise. Because if God is God, he is everywhere. If a Vaishnava goes to Vaikuntha, sometimes I myself make fun. The person who goes late has to sit at the far, far away at the back side just to poke fun. But that's not the thing. God is everywhere. Where? Excepting God, nothing exists. Therefore, when I go to Vaikuntha, I do not exist. That is beautifully depicted as I approach Salokya, same world. As I meditate, contemplate, Sarupya, I attain the same form. And when I go near Swabhava, then I start getting same type of nature, Samipya. And then finally, Sayujya, I become forever united. United means not two pieces of wood combined together, united together with super glue. Because pure consciousness like pure water poured into pure water, they become one. However, the devotees may like to express it. We will always remain separate. I want to see the face of my God, etc. I will tell you a very funny fact. If you go on looking at the same face day and night, I am sure you would like to run away for eternity. This fact most stupid people do not understand. It is better to become one than go on staring at the other person's face. But Advaita Vedanta asserts, no, no. It is like looking at your own face in its original form through a pure and clean mirror. In this seventh verse, Jeva is one with Paramatma. Individual is one with the Supreme Reality. But for some reason, why are we here? We don't know. But we are here. Even then, our real nature has never been lost. An opportunity is given, as it were, as if a king is acting like a beggar through several scenes. Ultimately, when the drama is over, play, acting is over, he will remove the beggar's dress and dons his own king's dress and he remains as a king. Even while acting as a beggar, he remains only as a king. These are the beautiful truths. Where are the six sense organs located? Six in the subtle body, not in the physical body, but in the subtle body. This fact also, I drew your attention yesterday. There are like five windows, five sense organs, five windows. The real eye is located in the subtle body. But when a new body comes, then this subtle body travels there as soon as it finds a new house. Like, you know, supposing you constructed a new house and you wanted it more or less similar to the old house. You give the plan, a house is constructed, you have kept in the old house things according to your convenience in some places. And exactly as soon as you enter, you know exactly, the books will go into the shelf, the cloths will go into the salmyra, utensils will go into the shelf and the TV will be kept here and the mobile will be kept here along with the charger, etc. What did you do? Simply you discarded the old house because for some reason it is unusable, took up a new house and placed everything as it is. So the Jeeva also takes these six organs and then the subtlest organ, the mind, it will be remaining in the subtle body. But the indriya called the eye, the physical eye is only a window. The physical ears are windows. So like your camera, unless you put this lens, it won't be effective. So you put different lenses according to the cameraman's desire or necessity. Exactly we place the same things and life continues. That is the idea. Life continues, the individual soul giving up automatically. They worn out, now no more useful body and already it has a blueprint. It knows where, to which parents and to which country, to which religion, to which race. Everything is fixed according to our actions done in the previous birth and actions are done because of our desires and then snug fit, absolute fit, right fit and then where he stopped in the previous birth, he starts to continue. These beautiful truths have been put. One important question that has been answered is that this Jeevatma or what happens when death happens? For that question, the Lord is answering in the seventh verse that there are three bodies as we know. A gross body called body, physical body, external body, a subtle body called the mind, a causal body called the sushupti sthana, prajna. So out of these three bodies, the external gross physical body has fallen off but its photo print is taken according to our activities and what we are and it goes. Second question, so will we be exactly leading the same type of life, same type of parents? No. Then what type of life will be? Those who have done lot of virtue, accumulated virtue and that person, he will be born in very pleasant, happy, convenient, favorable conditions in every way physically or intellectually or aesthetically or of course spiritually and all these do not go together. For example, a person who is interested in music is most likely to be born to that parents. A sportsman is likely to be born in another family where the parents can provide the appropriate body and there are also various where he wants to be a runner, a jumper, pole vaulter, whatever it is. So if a person only wants spiritual life, he has to earn it. That means we are the architects of our own fate, destiny. What does that mean? It means we are the architects of our future body and our future mind. Why do we say mind? Because the mind is the substance we are earning really. Good samskaras, evil samskaras, beautiful samskaras, ugly samskaras, all these samskaras depend totally upon what we express through concrete actions. I will tell you something very interesting. This is my faith and it is very rational. Today if you read any news, many people, how much suffering people are going through. Everywhere these politicians are the rakshasas. They don't care for the welfare of the people. They only care for their power, for their votes, etc. And what happens to such people? They think we are the masters. There is, that has been beautifully described in the next chapter called Daivasra Sampatti Vibhaga Yoga, they think they escaped the wrath of the God. Nothing to it. If you see the people suffering today, some people may take offense at that. You have done lot of evil actions. Not that some people are oppressing you. You are reaping, these people are reaping, I am reaping, you are reaping, everybody is reaping their own prarabdha karma. If we can awake to the fact that it can be avoided, better life can be achieved, then we have to follow the teachings of the scriptures of any religion and gradually become better people. So we are all sculptors. We have been given this rough material. But in course of time God will give us a beautiful idea. But he will give us a chisel, big chisel, small chisel, fine chisel. We have to sculpt ourselves. What is Upasana? Sculpting ourselves into the form of our own chosen deity. For example, if I am a devotee of Krishna, I am sculpting, by thinking of him constantly, I am obtaining Krishna Aakaravruthi or Jesus Aakaravruthi or Christ Aakaravruthi or Buddha Aakaravruthi or Ramakrishna Aakaravruthi or Sharada Devi Aakaravruthi, Kalika Aakaravruthi. That's what Ramakrishna had done. So that is the grand opportunity given. Life is God's grace ever opening new vistas of opportunities for each one of us. Do these suffering people, do they go on suffering forever? No. Every action is limited. The result of every action is also limited. At the same time, we have some freedom to mould our life, even while suffering in this life. And that is the purpose of suffering. Sukha mostly makes us fools, makes us forget. Dukha, it brings us forward. So these wonderful ideas are all compressed in this beautiful shloka, seventh shloka, Every Jeeva is an eternal portion of myself. I have become a living soul. This is my free translation. I, having become a living soul in this world of living beings, I draw to myself the five senses with the mind for the sixth, which abide in Prakruti. And when the time comes, with these six instruments, I obtain a new body and I continue my spiritual sadhana. That is what you have to say. One or two questions that come from here is, that how long does it take for a person to obtain another body? Is it immediate? The Shastra gives the answer. For some people, it is immediate. For some people, it may take a crore of years, a million years. And is it rational? Yes, it is rational. An important point I am highlighting here. You see, we think this small world that we live in, this prism or this prison of time, space and causation, our space, our time, our causation is the eternal truth. That is the absolute bunk. For example, when you go to dream, you can roam a hundred countries within a minute. That space, that causation is totally different from the waking state reality. Similarly, when the Jeeva, after kicking out, discarding this useless worn-out dress which has served its purpose, when it goes into the other world, again, whether it enters immediately or after a million years, is a relative idea from our point. What an after-death experienced person says, we do not know. Even if he comes and says, we can never understand it. We have to accept the fact. The scripture tells us, if somebody has done neither good nor bad, more or less, he will be born immediately in this world. If somebody has done extraordinary austerity in the forms of worship, pilgrimage, sacrifice, philanthropy or charity, etc., that person, he will move into higher worlds. And even that higher worlds, Brahma Loka, it is said a thousand yugas of human being is just one day and a thousand yugas of ours is one night. Like that, he is a hundred years. That means a hundred thousand yugas he will live. But then, it is a very long time. From whose point? From our point. Is it a long time? Just as we think a hundred years is passing so quickly. Similarly, for the Brahma, for all those who remain in the Brahma Loka, and here is a tremendous truth. Those who live in Brahma Loka, who can live in Brahma Loka? Only Brahmas. Who can live in Indra Loka? Only Indras. Who can live in Prajapati Loka, Brihaspati Loka? Only Prajapatis and Brihaspatis. Not that it is like Manushya Loka, it will be there like that. What is the reason? Those who think I am Brahma, there is Brahma Loka. Those who contemplate, do upasana, I am Indra, he will go to Indra Loka. That means he identifies himself with the Indra and whatever experience Indra has got, he will be experiencing it. This is a tremendous psychological truth. This is also called vicarious experience in psychological terminology. The fact, the important point, simple point. After death, time changes, space changes, causation changes. The same rules do not apply anywhere. So that is an important part. So how long they can be there? Either in the heaven or hell, so long as they need that experience and then as soon as that experience is over, they will be again given another fresh opportunity to become human beings. Why? Because only in the human world, it is possible for a Jeeva to use his free will. In Svarga Loka, there is no free will. In Naraka Loka also, there is no free will. More or less like you have been invited to a Prime Minister's dinner party and you go there dressed in a particular manner and you have no power to do anything until that particular reception is over. Then only you have, with a long sigh of happiness, you come out. Until that time, you are squirming like a worm because you don't belong to that society even if you are invited also. Whether it is a Queen's party or a Prime Minister's party, I had experience, that's why I am telling you. This is very important for us. This, when a person goes to Svarga Loka, heavenly world, he has no freedom. 24 hours, it is a reception party after. If it is Naraka Loka, from one department of torture to another department of torture, there is no freedom to think. But when he comes, it is as if, what shall I do? Good or bad? Think. It all depends. Slowly develop good impressions and move forward. In this, I completed the 7th Shloka. We will move to the 8th Shloka. तरीरं यत अवाप्नोति यच्च अपि उत्क्रामति ईश्वरह गृहीत्वायितानि संयाति वायु गंधानि आशया So he gives a beautiful example here. When the Lord, Ishwara, acquires a body and when he leaves it, he takes these six with him and goes on his way, travels his way. As the wind carries away, he sends from their places. First we will take the example, Vayu, the air. There are good smells, fragrant smells, it carries. Foul smells, it carries. What is the point? How easily it carries. Does it strain? No strain at all. But the important fact is, it is not contaminated. Because the nature of air is totally separate. The good smell or evil smell, fragrant or foul smelling, things are only carried. It is for others, not for the air. That means what? Even though the Jeeva carries evil samskaras or good samskaras, a subtle body full of evil thoughts or good thoughts, a causal body which stores good deeds, evil deeds, a Jeeva, Jeevatma, the reflected consciousness, Chidavas, is not affected. He ever remains pure consciousness as a witness of the waking dream as well as deep sleep. That is the purpose of this. The pure consciousness is never ever contaminated. That's why a very practical question that came up is, and it has been illustrated by Shri Ramakrishna, a person committed lot of sins and he is burdened. He is being dragged down by the heavy weight of his own guilt. But he genuinely surrenders himself to God and then he says, Lord, is there any way out for me? Even your grace, I think, is not sufficient to lift me out of this morass. And then the Divine Lord says, Morass, my child, what are you talking about? This dress, it is nothing but it is a dress. It has nothing to do with you as our dress has nothing to do with our skin. It is something which can be easily peeled off like the slough of a snake. So I don't see anything. All that I do is, I will, like a loving mother, just take off and then throw it away. You are the ever precious one, never ever contaminated. You are the ever pure, like Madalasa used to sing to her child, who became one of the greatest philosophers in this world. So the Lord's way of looking at us and our way of looking at ourselves is diametrically opposed to each other. That is the point here. This is beautifully illustrated. You throw anything into the fire. That is another example. The fire never gets contaminated. It burns away everything. Similarly, there are good things. Sweet water, bitter water, saltish water. Water of the ocean is saltish. Water of a beautiful river is very pure, very sweet, etc. Until human being came and contaminated so much that he himself is afraid to touch that water everywhere. This is our sad story, bad story, evil story. No, the pure consciousness can never be contaminated. Life, our reflection is never contaminated by any amount of dirt that accumulates upon the mirror. Yes, the mirror's reflection is contaminated. Appears to be contaminated. But the moment you clear the dirt with some cleaning cloth, with some soap powder, etc., you will see your reflection is absolutely unaffected, uncontaminated, ever pure. Peel off the five dresses every Jeeva is accustomed to wear. This body, the prana, the mind, intellect and the final one is called Anandamaya Kosha, beautiful Kosha. That's what we experience in our deep sleep. And with whichever Kosha we are identified, then our reflection also shows exactly the same thing. But by the grace of a Sadguru, not sad Guru. Sadguru, there is no sad Guru. Everybody is a Sadguru. Oh, my Guru was wonderful in the beginning, but later on he became very bad. No, no, no. The Guru is not the person with whom you came into contact. It is just like a pipe. It is the rain water, is always pure. But in the process it might acquire some things. You boil it, pray to God and that is nothing but pure water. God only speaks even through the bad Guru, sad Guru, but for the good of the disciple. It's a tremendous fact. Somebody has acquired some bad Guru. It is for the purification of the disciple. The blame is not for the Guru. But why did I deserve this kind of Guru? We will have to sit and question ourselves. Accept and then put into practice what God has given us through that instrument. You will see that it is only God who has assumed the form of that Guru. And he is thus playing with himself. That is the fact. Everything is good. This is a tremendous fact. We have to accept. What is that fact? Whether happiness comes to us because we deserve it, but it has a purpose. We have to learn the purpose. If evil comes to us, then that also, there also, that comes for our own teaching. Every incident that happens in a human life is for the sake of teaching us some lesson. So here in this 8th verse, two facts. Another fact is extended which we discussed in the 7th. Life is nothing but birth, growth, old age, disease, death, again rebirth, again same process until we know what is our true nature. And that is being said here. When this Jeevatma moves after death into a new birth, that is called avapnoti. He obtains a new instrument, a new physical gross body. Sareeram. And then that Sareeram, there is a birth date, there is a growth, there is an old age. And when the time of death comes, in the 7th shloka, as we discussed in the 7th verse, that he takes the six organs, that means the subtle body and then the causal body and then slowly he will get another body. This seemingly never ending birth and death process, birth after birth, is actually, every birth is taking us one step towards our destination of discovering who we really are. That is being said here. When the Jeevatma obtains a new body. And again when the time of death comes. It departs. It doesn't say I am dying. The Jeevatma says utkramati, means he gives up. He departs. When you depart from your house, your house also will not follow you. You simply leave it. And who can leave it? If you are the house, you cannot leave it. Only if you are separate, you can leave it. All the time, this Jeevatma is completely separate from this body-mind complex. It is only using it. You use a cycle, you use a car, you use an aeroplane, you use a house. Anything you use. This body also exactly the same thing. In fact, the subtle body is also the same thing. And the causal body is also the same thing. But they will last long time. Only finally when the Jeevatma knows I am not Jeeva. I am only Atma. Then these subtle body and causal body also fall off automatically. You need not do anything. Just as when a river merges in the sea, ocean, it doesn't say, Okay, my name was Ganga. I am leaving you behind. I was such and such tasting water. I am also leaving behind. Farewell. Tears are coming to my mind. It doesn't do that. As soon as it falls into the ocean, automatically it becomes the ocean. It doesn't even remember that at one time it was a particular river flowing from a particular direction and carrying so many good things and bad things, etc. And incidentally, that's what had happened to Siddhartha. The book I mentioned earlier, he went on watching a river. And then everything was changing every millisecond. And through that hilarant, I am the watcher. The river is changing. But the river is the same. The witness is witnessing. But the witness is the same. Changes take place only that which is changeable. And I am not that changeable. I am not an object. I am a constant subject. So Sariram, when this body has apparently, there is a birth, there is a death, the Jeevatma does repeat that earlier what was discussed. In the time of giving up this physical body, he carries a subtle body, the causal body. But at the same time, he carries a blueprint. Not only blueprint, he has already purchased the, a person has already purchased the land. Blueprint can never be done unless land is already purchased. How much land and how many rooms a person wants and where the rooms are to be placed. How big the rooms should be. This is what the architect takes the information and then only draws the blueprint. So also the Jeevatma, albeit not consciously, decides which type of physical body is most suitable for me. And he had already fixed it. These parents, this religion or irreligion and this place, this language, this culture, etc. And taking that one, Utkramati. So again after that, taking back whatever experiences he had gained, he goes to the next birth, next birth. But every birth is a step forward, not a step backward. So Grihitvaithani. Grihitva, having taken possession of Ethani. These, what does Bhagavan Krishna mean? Ethani, these means what was discussed earlier in the Sanantu. Verse, Manaha Shashtani Indriyani. Five sense organs and this mind along with mind, Dhani Sanyati. He goes away, carries as it were. How? Like air carries any type of smell. First of all, I said easily, without any effort, automatically he is not even aware of it. And at the same time, he is never attached, contaminated, made impure by that. That means his real nature never changes. This process continues until the liberation or self-knowledge dawns. The purpose is over. Then those very constituent elements come back to help somebody else. All the time this world is the grace of God. Entire world is the grace of God. And that is the meaning that when the Lord is called Ishwara. When we are talking Ishwara. Ishwara means Lord. What Lord are we talking? Are we talking about God? Indirectly. Because God alone has asserted earlier, Mamayeva Amshaha. Every Jeevatma is nothing but myself manifesting as small as limited. The limitation is not of the God. The limitation is when you look through a very small hole at the open sky outside, you see only a small part of the sky. And like that because of the adjuncts, limiting adjuncts called Upadhi. A mosquito thinks I am a mosquito. A man thinks I am a man. A scientist thinks I am a scientist etc. But he is nothing but the Lord. Why is he Lord? We are the Lords. Lords of what? Our body, our mind as well as our causal body. Are we really the Lords? There seems to be a problem because mind control is extremely difficult. No. Who made the mind Lord of ourselves? We or Swami Yathushananda Maharaj used to tell a story that a man was very fond of a pet dog. From puppy state he was bringing and he loved the puppy so much he always kept it in his lap and even after it has grown into a huge St. Bernard perhaps, still it jumps into the master's. One day the master realized it's not a very convenient thing. So whenever it jumps he will push it up. At first the dog did not understand. Then after lot of being pushed out, it slowly learned. Sadly my master has lost his love for me. He doesn't allow me to rest in his lap. The fact is that it was the master's fault not the dog's fault. If you have kept that dog under control from the very beginning then it would never have dared to jump into anybody's lap. That's what being told. If the mind is not under our control, who permitted it to be out of our control? We gladly listened. In the Gospel class I think or one of our Eksha Prashnas, I narrated the story of Puranjana from Bhagavatam. Most marvelous story and we have seen there how there is an eternal companion always to give us right advice at the right time. We are the masters. How do we know? Because if we had been born slaves, the question of controlling the mind does never arise. But we have given freedom. Now we realize our mistake. Now we will have to regain our freedom and become masters of our mind. That's what beautifully we have discussed in the 6th chapter that this mind... So the mind itself is the friend. Which mind? A controlled mind. One's own mind is the greatest enemy. Which type of mind? A mind to which we have completely surrendered ourselves. Is there any way? Yes. From now onwards strive slowly, slowly to control that mind. So this is what happens. Every Jeeva, whether it is mosquito, human being, whatever it is, so he is born and the purpose is fulfilled. Only some lessons. Consciously if we learn it is good. Then we move forward. Another birth, death. Through that we gather a lot of experiences, lot of knowledge. Finally we feel the heavy burden of these limitations, long for liberation and that is when the scripture comes. And who decides which birth? As I have already mentioned, it is nothing but our own, what is called actions from the previous birth, this birth, but we have that freedom to move forward. Now we move to the 9th. What are these sense organs? 5 sense organs, 6 organs, 6 instruments with which the Jeevatma moves from one body to the other body and from birth to death using them for making the spiritual journey forward. That is being described. Shrotram Chakshu Sparshanamcha Prasanam Ghranamevacha Adhistaya Manaschayam Vishayam Upasevate Beautifully described. Shrotram, the organ of the ears. Chakshu, eye. Sparshanam, the sense organ of touch. Prasanam, the sense organ of taste. Ghranam, the sense organ of smelling. These are only 5. We have only 5. But of these 5, do you know, only 2 are very important. What are those 2? The eye and the ear. And within these 2, which has the greater facility, influence? It is the ear. That is why whenever we study Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, what do we pray? Bhadram Karneve Shunuyama Deva Bhadram Pashyama Akshabehe Yajatra All sense organs are wonderful, necessary. They can bind us more seemingly. They can make us happier seemingly. But all of them have only one purpose. To reveal our true nature. And say in one of the Vedantic texts, O stupid fellow, you have strayed into my compound. You don't belong to my house. Your house is elsewhere. If you don't go respectfully, I will kick you, so that you will fall into your own compound. That is what nature will do. Either through pain, through difficulties, through suffering, or through temptations, whatever it is. Nature's one purpose is to take us, to carry us to God. That is to bring us self-knowledge. These five sense organs, Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha. And then, who is controlling them? Who is harmonizing them? Who is making all those pieces of information into a meaningful whole? Manascha Ayam. This mind of ours. And with the help of these five sense organs, of course, the Jeevatma, with the help of, he goes on looking at his own reflection. He says, I am a rich man. I am a beautiful person. I am a great sportsman. I am the grandest scientist. I am the greatest musician. I am a king. As well, I am a pauper. I am an illiterate. I am a slave. I am a very unhappy person. All these reflections, which are only for the time being, but not at all real. So, with these six organs, five of sense organs of knowledge and one organ called mind, he enjoys this particular world, Sukha, Dukha, Dharma, Adharma, etc. But slowly, he will progress. But he is number one with the sense organs. Means, he is number one with the body and mind. But he is the master. Earlier we discussed. Because it is the mind, whether with good habits or evil habits, whether it makes us slaves or it makes us masters. We experience this world only with the help of this body and mind. Body means five sense organs. Mind means, subtle body means mind plus the pure consciousness as reflected in the mind. And this is how life continues. What is the point here? In this ninth verse, that we have the freedom to enjoy, to control our actions, to create Dharma or Adharma and if we are following discriminative perspective, then we can progress slowly and finally obtain God Realization. That is the essence of the ninth one. There is not much really to talk about it. But maybe one or two points we will talk about it next Saturday. But now is, why can't we see the soul? Because we are mudhas. Vimudhahana Anupashyanti. If we are stupid people, ignorant people, we can't see the Jivatma. All the time mastering, carrying. But if we are wise people, discriminative people, people who follow the scriptures, definitely we can understand the Jivatma is quite separate from the body and mind. It is nothing but Paramatma. These beautiful points we will discuss in our next class. Om Vasudeva Sutam Devam Kamsa Janura Mardanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadguru May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.