Dakshinamurti Stotram Part 06 on 16 January 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUR YO BRAHMANAM VIDADHATI PURVAM YO VAI VEDAMSYA PRAHINOTI DASME TAMHA DEVAM ATMA BUDDHI PRAKASHAM MUMOKSHUR VAI SHARANAMAHAM PRAPADYE We are meditating upon the Dakshinamurthy Stotram. We have been dealing with what is called Dhyana Shlokas. We also have found out every Dhyana Shloka has a deep meaning by itself. And even if we do not go to the original text of the Dakshinamurthy Stotram, still we get all the important points as if the whole Advaita Vedanta has been squeezed. That's why they are very aptly called Dhyana Shlokas, Meditational Shlokas. In our last class, we dealt with the fourth one. NIDAYE SARVAVIDHYANAM BHISHAJE BHAVAROGHINAM GURAVE SARVALOKANAM DAKSHINAMURTHAYE NAMAH Salutations to Dakshinamurthy who is receptacle of all knowledge, who is a medicine to all the diseases of worldly bondage, who is the only Guru to all the worlds. Salutations to such Dakshinamurthy. We have also seen the meaning of the word Dakshina means he is capable. Capable of what? One meaning is he is the creator, sustainer and as well as the maintainer. Another meaning is he is capable of destroying the avidya, ignorance and granting us by his mere look even without speaking anything. That pure knowledge, who am I? Aham Brahmasmi and Nidhaye Sarvavidhyanam. Is he, is Dakshinamurthy is the only one who gives only spiritual knowledge? No. Whatever knowledge a person is after, he will give. All knowledge comes from God including as we saw in the Bhagavad Gita, right knowledge, wrong knowledge, remembrance and forgetfulness. Smriti, Jnana, Apohana everything comes only from him. What is the point? The point is there are two ways of obtaining knowledge which historically many saints have proved it. One go through the formal disciplines like school, college, university etc. Second by the grace of God, Kalidasa is a prime example. Sri Ramakrishna is another example and Swami Adbhutananda is another example directly. Indirectly we are all examples. Even if we go to a school as they say if a donkey is sent to a school, it only carries the burden of the books but never gets the knowledge. Kharas Chandana Vahi, only a donkey knows what is the weight of the sandalwood paste but it never knows what is the fragrance that comes out of it. If we see any type of knowledge in any way, in any degree and that is all from Mother Saraswati is another name for Dakshinamurthy. Brahma is another name. He is the Srishtikarta, he is the Palanakarta, he is also the Samaharakarta. Therefore who created the diseases? Only he created because along with the creation of the world which is a mixture of both good and bad, dharma, adharma. Unlike some religions who attribute to God only goodness, God created only goodness, who created evil? Saturn. The next question will be who created Saturn? And they cannot escape it because if God says I did not create Saturn then we have to posit another God, a second God who would be a rival to the first God. No, every religion sooner or later has to admit everything is created by God. Unnaturally the question that comes is why did he not create only good things, only happiness? Because in a drama if you create only good things then that drama will be a flop. That cinema will not get even one penny of the money spent for it. That is why a cinema is a combination of tragedy, comedy, humour, adventure, everything combined. That's why in Indian cinemas you invariably see some buffoon performing all these actions. Navarasa. Navarasa, nine rasa should be there. Vishwaje bhava rogi naam. This entire creation is a disease. Why, what is a disease? Experience of duality. What is samsara or worldly life? It is nothing but duality. What is the duality? I am separate from everything else. I am separate from God. God is separate from everything. This triangle, God, world and me, we are all separate from each other. That is called avidya. That is called disease. Vishwaje bhava rogi naam. We are all suffering. Though we are suffering, some of us are very happy to suffer. And even though this samsara is giving us so much of suffering. We go to God himself and suppose he gives an option. Do you want mukti or do you want worldly enjoyment? We say very diplomatically, anyway in the end you are going to give us mukti. But for now give us only worldly enjoyment. Every worldly enjoyment is a terrible bondage. But if one takes refuge in him, he is the greatest doctor, physician in the whole world. That is why as I quoted in the last class. So we go on chanting. Occasionally a hymn that was composed by Swami Abhedanandaji. 7th shloka, vande jagad bheejam khanda mekam vande surai sevita pada peetham vande bhavesham bhava roga vaidhyam tam eva vande uvirama krishnam Not only that, every day we are also singing. What is that? Khandana bhava bandhana. We have to add there khandana bhava roga bandhana. Jaga bandhana. The whole world salutes him because whatever a person wants. Do you want dharma? Do you want artha? Do you want kama? Or do you want moksha? He is prepared to give everything. Then gurave sarvalokanam. He is the only teacher. How many teachers are there? Billions of teachers are there. And are there billions of teachers? What is a teacher? A teacher is one who tries to transmit knowledge and that knowledge comes only from God because he is satyam jnanam anantam brahma. So God is the only embodiment of chit or knowledge. Then what about all the gurus? They are like pipes. So there is a rain water falling on the roof. There may be a four or five small pipes coming and they will be having elephant face or lion face and the water seems to be coming separately from each conduit. But we know that it is only the divine mother. Yadevi sarva bhuteshu vidya roopena samsthita chithi roopena samsthita jnana roopena samsthita She only manifests and there is only one. Call him God. Call him father. God him Allah. Call him by any name. It is the only one. We can see in Shri Ram Krishna's life many times many devotees were very happy because what they really wanted to hear somehow seems to come out from Shri Ram Krishna's mouth even though they had not explicitly expressed. This is our doubt. A few times yes people asked him. Most of the time it comes out just like that. Then they are surprised. This was the doubt with which we have come to you. But how did you come to know? It happens not only to Shri Ram Krishna. It happens to each one of us. So many devotees told me that when you talked that so many of our doubts which were troubling me is completely gone. I also thank them wholeheartedly I am so glad you have got benefit because I don't need separately to speak and expend some more time. Shri Ram Krishna used to say when the devotees said thank you sir he used to say I know nothing. I only know I drink, I eat and I am happy. My mother alone is speaking and he used to say if anyone depends upon the mother. He gave a beautiful analogy in the villages people will be selling lot of this grain, rice, wheat etc and they put it in a big heap. One person is measuring out whatever is measured is becoming less. Another person pushes another big heap towards the person who is measuring out. So the divine mother never stops pushing out new types of knowledge. When we study the life of Swami Vivekananda especially in the west we can divide Swami Vivekananda's stay in the west into three separate categories. All of them became completely unified towards the end. First of all he went there so that he can collect some money, come back and teach Indians what is called scientific technical knowledge. Second phase he realized that simply taking will not do, we have to give something. So we will give our spiritual knowledge and they will give in turn the worldly knowledge, secular knowledge, scientific knowledge. Unfortunately that also did not happen. In the third stage he decided I have a mission to the west just as Buddha had a mission to the east. I will give out. If you want to give, you give. If you do not wish, that's absolutely fine because he realized whatever happens, happens only by the will of the mother. But what are we talking about in this particular Dhyana Shloka that he is Nithaya Sarva Vidyanam. He is the source, original source of all knowledge. So if we want knowledge, take surrender. What is surrender? The ability to receive what God is ever ready to give us is called self-surrender. Now we move on to the fifth Dhyana Shloka. Om Namaha Pranavarthaya Shuddha Gnanaikamurthaye Nirmalaya Prashantaya Dakshinamurthaye Namaha Salutations to Sri Dakshinamurthy. Salutations to the embodiment of Pranava. Pranava means Om. Salutations to the personification of the pure non-dual knowledge. Salutations to the pure and stainless and salutations to the tranquil. Salutations to that Dakshinamurthy. This is one of the most wonderful Shlokas. As I was mentioning earlier, one Dhyana Shloka is more than enough. If we can take that one drop like the pearl oyster and then dive deep into it, everything will follow that one. Here in this fifth Dhyana Shloka, what is it? Namaha Om Namaha. Salutations to Om. What is Om? Pranavaarthaya. The meaning of, true meaning of, intended meaning of Pranava. Pranava means Omkara. And Shuddha Gnana Ekamurthaye. To that Dakshinamurthy who is the embodiment of the purest knowledge. Nirmalaya. He is the purest being. Shuddhaya, Nirmalaya and these are all synonymous meaning. Prashantaya. Who is the embodiment of tranquility. To such a Dakshinamurthy, my salutations. Now let us move into the meaning. In the Hindu Vedantic system, Omkara is considered the greatest syllable. And this Omkara is always understood in two ways. One is called superficial meaning. Another is called intended meaning. Superficial meaning in Sanskrit is called Vachiyartha. And that which is hidden inside, that is the real meaning, that is Lakshanaartha we have to see. Now, Sri Ramakrishna. Let us first take the example of Sri Ramakrishna. The very first day that M had entered into the Dakshineshwar temple, met Sri Ramakrishna. His impression was the Shukadeva himself is sitting and he is teaching to all the Rishis and Munis. What was Sri Ramakrishna telling? Sandhya merges in Gayatri and Gayatri merges in Omkara. That which is more elaborate in course of time, majors and becomes condensed, becomes very subtle. And that subtle becomes the subtlest. And that subtlest finally leads to that which is beyond gross, subtle and causal. Gowdapadacharya who commented upon this Mandukya Upanishad in the very first mantra, Omkara. He gave this beautiful meaning. Om can be split into four parts. A, U, M. This is called Mortha Shabda. That which is experienceable, that is we are able to hear. Then there is something called Amatra. Sri Ramakrishna gives the example, when you strike a gong, like that it goes, that is visible. Then it goes on, like that it goes on. That is called Amatra. In brief, what was Sri Ramakrishna telling? That according to Gowdapada, Akara stands for our experience of this world in the form of waking state. Akara stands in the form of the dream world experience. And Makara indicates that which is called Sushupti experience, dreamless experience, deep sleep experience. But that which is witnessing the waking, the dream as well as the deep sleep state, that is called Amatra. That is called Turiya. That is called Chaturtha. Chaturtha is not the fourth, because if you say fourth, that would be a state. If you say fifth, that would be another state. It is a stateless witness. This is what is so beautifully explained. Again in that beautiful small text, that is called Dritya, Drishya, Viveka, I and everything else. Every living creature's experience is waking state, dream state and dreamless or deep sleep state. This Pranava, this Omkara contains these three. So Jagrat, gross state, if it is done properly, should take us to the subtle state. And if the subtle state also we can control, it will take us to the causal state. And the cause of everything without becoming a real cause is called Turiya. That is how Omkara takes us. Everybody praised Omkara as the greatest sound. Why? Because Omkara represents all knowledge. How does Omkara represent every type of knowledge, whether it is secular or spiritual? In fact, from a spiritual viewpoint, there is nothing called secular knowledge. All knowledge is only spiritual knowledge. What do I mean? Suppose I see an object, it is a bird or it is a man, it is a woman. If Shri Ramakrishna sees the same object, he doesn't say I am seeing a bird, a man or woman. Shri Ramakrishna says I see only my divine mother. This is called the pure consciousness appearing because of the limitation of our own minds in different forms, with different names, different forms. There is no world apart from consciousness. We will come to that point later on. And Swami Vekananda incidentally, both in his Bhakti Yoga as well as in his commentary on the Patanjali. Tasya Vachakaha Pranavaha. Patanjali has got one sutra. Tasya means Eshwarasya Vachakaha. The syllable which represents Eshwara is Pranavaha, Omkara. And both explaining that what is this Pranava or Omkara, explaining what is called mantra, what is the real meaning of Omkara, which I will quote very soon. Now this Dakshinamurthy is not separate from Omkara. In Kata Upanishad we say Om is the syllable both for the Saguna as well as the Nirguna Brahman, the personal God as well as the impersonal God. And it is the greatest mantra of all mantras. This was what Shri Ramakrishna is referring. When a person go on doing rituals, in course of time, gradually, slowly but surely, his mind becomes pure and he tries to grasp the meaning of Omkara. Then the whole hours of rituals just merge in the repetition of Gayathri. And then in course of time, that Gayathri also is compressed into, zipped into only one syllable, that is Om. But Swami Vivekananda goes further and says this Omkara also merges and then Bhuchejaar Bhucheja. He who experiences, only he understands what I am talking about and nobody else. This Dakshinamurthy, he is considered as the very embodiment of Omkara. Om or A-U-M is considered as a divine sound and it is the best name of God. The sound Om is a combination of A, O and M. Unfortunately, when we try to put these letters in English language, you have to pronounce it as A-U and M. That A-U, they do not make any meaning. Only in Sanskrit, A, O and M. Any sound that passes through the sound box first starts with A and when it comes to the middle of the sound box, it magically transforms itself into O. When A plus O join together, it becomes O and it ends with the touching of the lips which is called M. Don't say Ma. In Sanskrit language, the vowels and the consonants are completely separate. Here we are talking about this consonant without any touch of the vowel. M, K, G, CH, T, T, P, like that. The sound Om is a combination of A, O and M. According to Hindu belief, the sound Om includes every possible sound of the universe. Why is it so? Swami Vivekananda says Om is that symbol which particularizes it the least and at the same time most approximately expresses its nature and it will be the truest symbol thereof. And this is the only symbol, the Om and the Om only because these three letters A, O and M pronounced in combination as OM may well be the generalized symbol of all possible sounds. This I am quoting from Swami Vivekananda but in between, just insert a little bit of explanation. Whether a person is Chinese, Japanese, a Norwegian, Icelandic or anybody, everybody has got a sound box. Every animal, every bird have got a sound box and when the purest air from the lungs is expelled, is passing out, it comes out through the sound box and it must fall from Akara to this Kshakara. Akara to Makara. A, O, Ma. There is no other way because that is the construction of the sound box. It starts with A. If you put your finger here and make sound, it only comes, you can't say O, you can only say A. You just observe the vibration here. It will be A. Put here, it will be only O. Put here, you cannot make a sound without saying M. You cannot pronounce Makara without both the lips touching and these three A, O and M is in Sanskrit what we call OM. So every possible sound in the whole dictionaries of every particular language are comprising of only these 52 letters. There is no more and OM is the only word in this whole world which combines all possible sounds, therefore all possible meanings. This is what Swami Vivekananda says. That is why Shri Krishna in the 10th chapter Vibhuti Yuga says A is the least differentiated of all sounds, therefore Krishna says Aksharanam Akaraha Asmi I am A among the letters. Again in English language, for God's sake do not pronounce I am A among the letters. You have to understand it is written, spelled as A but pronounced as A. OM is the greatest meaning the absolute. Swami Vivekananda's verse is like sutras. When I say greatest, I am meaning it is absolute. Absolute means beyond which there is no other syllable. Meditating on the meaning of these holy names while repeating them is the cheap practice. Great men like the Avataras in coming back from Samadhi to the realm of I and Mine first experience the unmanifest Nada which by degrees grows distinct and appears as OM and then from Omkara the subtle form of the universe as a mass of ideas becomes experienced and last the material universe comes into perception. That means Omkara is Brahman. Brahman manifests as Ishwara or Saguna Brahma and that Saguna Brahma is manifesting in the guise of time, space and causation Desha, Kaala, Nimitta as this entire both causal, subtle as well as gross universe. So at last comes this universe. His manifesting world is Om. Swami Vivekananda's quotation. What does it mean? It is Nama and Namni. Here is another beautiful idea we have to keep in mind. We can never separate the name from the named. You just imagine say Rama or Jesus, Buddha immediately they form the qualities. Rupa as well as the Gunas. Both will spring into mind. Now try as an exercise. I utter the word but nothing comes out of it. Now peculiar thing is many times we are doing Japam. While doing what are we uttering in Japam? Mantra. Say for example Om Rama. But while saying Om Rama what thoughts come? What forms come? A dog, pet dog, a house, a car, a beloved man or woman, beloved children and money. And buildings. These are the things that come to our mind. Naturally God is manifesting in these forms. So you get or one gets what one means. Not what one really merely utters but what really means. This is the clue to understand that beautiful verse of Bhagawan Krishna who says that whatever be the last thought that will determine the future birth of the person. Suppose somebody is calling Narayana but meaning his pet dog. It is not the word that means. That is what is called Pranava Artha. What is the meaning of Narayana? If you think it is a dog and then you are likely to become God. The classical example is Jada Bharatha. Why because we have to meditate upon this story. We all know this story. Bharatha was a greatly progressed spiritual soul. That means he was only thinking of God. Suddenly he fell in love with a baby deer and every baby becomes a deer and afterwards only it becomes clear. It is not after all so deer at all. So this Jada Bharatha he was probably uttering God's name because he practiced it for a long time but he was only meditating upon whom? That baby deer which has grown up. Therefore his thought is of the deer and next birth he had to be born as a deer only. Then of course his lifelong austerity had come to his help and immediately he realized from now onwards I will never be attached to anything including the family. So he behaved like a Jada but inside he was a Purna Gnani, completely realized soul. That last obstruction he was able to cut. But what is that very interesting analogy. When Totapuri came to Sri Ramakrishna, remove all thoughts. Ramakrishna said I can remove every thought excepting that of my divine mother. This is called Brahmakara Vritti. So what was this Jada Bharatha's Brahmakara Vritti? Harinakara Vritti. His last thought is what? Harinakara. That is why he had to become a Harina or a deer and then he understood that I could have avoided it but that was the last obstacle and the next birth he never became attached to anything. So here Swami Vivekananda is telling his, means Ishwara's manifesting word is Om. Ishwara is the Atman as seen or grasped by mind. Nobody can think of God as Brahma. Everybody has to think of God in a personalized form only. Why? Because he is beyond mind, much less speech. Repeat the highest name Om, meditate on it, think of all its wonderful nature and attributes and what are those things he means? Om Namaha Pranavarthaya Shuddha Jnanaikamurtaye Nirmalaaya Prashantaya Dakshinamurtaye Namaha. When a person goes on meditating upon this, what do you think he will get? Such a person becomes Dakshinamurti. Instead of saying that I am so and so, ultimately he says I am Dakshinamurti, I am Nirmala, I am Prashanta, I am Shuddha Jnanaikamurti, I am the Pranavartha. This was what Swami Vivekananda is telling. Repeat it, meditate on it, think of all its wonderful nature and attributes. Repeating the Om continually is the only true worship. It is not a word, it is God himself. Om is the sacred name of that indescribable one. This word is the holiest of all words. He who knows the secret of this word receives that which he desires. Take refuge in this word. Whoso takes refuge in this word, to him the way opens. Om represents the Akhanda, indivisible, the undifferentiated Brahman. This was what Swami Vivekananda has explained in his Bhakti Yoga. Now what did he explain? In the Patanjali Yoga aphorisms, Dasya Vachakaha Pranavaha, is there any material sound of which all other sounds must be manifestations? One which is the most natural sound? Yes. Om is such a sound, the basis of all sounds. The first letter A is the root sound, the key pronounced without touching any part of the tongue or palate. Every sentence has deep meaning. A doesn't touch anything because it just started without touching but as it comes out of the mouth, it touches every part of the sound box and it changes. E, O, A, O, Am, Am. That's why it is said Am, Aha, that vowel Am, Makara. So, I is the root sound, the key pronounced without touching any part of the tongue or palate. M represents the last sound in the series being produced by the closed lips and the U rolls from the very root to the end of the sounding board of the mouth. Thus, Om represents the whole phenomena of sound producing. As such, it must be the natural symbol, the matrix of all the various sounds. It denotes the whole range and possibility of all words that can be made. Not only what were, not only what are, but what could be made in future. But do not worry because any word must be made only out of the what we call 52 letters of the alphabet. No word can be made without these 52 basic syllables. So, the Gnanam which is not conditioned by time, space and causation or any objects, that Gnanam is called Shuddha Gnanam or Nirvishaya Gnanam, objectless consciousness, pure knowledge and that is what Omkara really represents. Here ends Swami Vivekananda's commentary on Om. He has given a lot. I only have taken the most relevant parts, otherwise probably another one class will be going on with the explanation of Swami Vivekananda. Om Namaha Pranava Arthaya. Who is the Akshina Murthy is the very embodiment of the real meaning of Pranava or Om. And what is his nature? Same object, same thing is being described in so many words. Already we have described Om. What else remains to be discovered? Nothing else. But still this is for our meditation. Shuddha means pure, Gnana, pure Gnana, Ekamurthy. What is pure knowledge? And Akshina Murthy is considered as embodiment of pure knowledge. We also say about Sri Ramakrishna, the third of this Khandana Vavandana, Mohchana, Agadoshana, Jagabhushana, Chit Ghanakaya, Chit Ghanakaya. Chit means Gnanam, Ghana means condensed form, Kaya. What is that? Does knowledge have any form? It doesn't have. Pure knowledge doesn't have any form. Only conditioned knowledge always goes with any object. Let me give you a small example. I see a tree. So I have got knowledge of the tree. What is the knowledge? This is a tree. What is the tree? It is first of all a single object and it is separated from other trees and then it is separated from all animals, all human beings, all insects, all inert things and it is a special species called, it is a three types of differences. What is Vijatiya, Sajatiya, Swagata Bheda? This tree represents all the differentiations. Let us say it is a mango tree. It is different from every other species. It is different from its own species and within itself the tree has got, this is a branch, this is a leaf, this is a blossom, this is a fruit, this is the trunk, this is the root. So many differences are there. Just I am giving you only an example. So the knowledge which we have is about objects and the knowledge of every object is completely separate from the knowledge of every other beast. Then what is Shuddha Gnanam? Pure knowledge. Pure knowledge is not conditioned by names, by forms, by time, by space and by causation. That knowledge which is not conditioned by anything whatsoever, that is called pure knowledge and that pure knowledge cannot be had. We can identify ourselves with it but we cannot have it. The moment you experience God, He is not God. The moment you experience, you have to say I am not that. But the whole teaching of the Upanishads is I am God. As what? As a tree, as a man, as a table? No. That is called Chit. Chit is knowledge which is not conditioned by names and so by forms and by proxy, by time, space and causation. So we have to understand this Dakshinamurthy is another word for Parabrahma Shuddha Gnana Ekamurthy. Nitya Shuddha Buddha Mukta Swaroopaha. Naturally Nirmalaya, Dakshinamurthy is another characteristic is Nirmalaha. Mala means impurity and impurity means combination of two objects. Our last class, mind you, I am repeating so many of these things because our memory is very famous. That's why I am repeating so that at least something sticks. There are two meanings for this word impurity. There is what is called mud and there is water. Mud and water comes into contact and then it becomes muddy water. Therefore, it is impure water. We say that. But supposing there is gold and there is silver. These two metals are mixed. Is silver impure? No. It is pure. Gold also is pure. So what am I driving at? Driving at is however pure two things are, if two things come into contact with each other and appear to be one. Appear, whenever they become one actually. Appear to be one. That is also called impurity. So how is it applying to our present study? Dakshinamurthy is Nirmala means he is pure. Shuddha. Why is he pure? Because there is no second other than him. Ekam, Nityam, Akhandam, Advityam. These are all epithets we got in Bhagavad Gita. Every scripture practically repeats it umpteen number of times. He is Nirmalaya. And Prashantaya is of absolute embodiment of tranquility. Shanta means tranquility. What is tranquility? To be tranquil or to be non-tranquil that belongs to the condition of the mind. When this Parabrahman Dakshinamurthy doesn't know anything excepting that Anantamurthy. Where is the question of mind? Even our minds you have to imagine when we are in deep sleep. How is our mind? How is your mind? That is called Nirmala. That is also called Prashantaya. Chit Ghanaya is the embodiment of pure consciousness. Here Chit means consciousness. Pure consciousness. Is there called impure consciousness? Yes. When you look at your hand that is your knowledge of hand is impure consciousness. Your knowledge of everything else is impure consciousness. But Dakshinamurthy doesn't even know I am one. He is only for human language. Chit Ghanaya Maheshaya and yet he is Ishwara who creates, who sustains and who takes back. Therefore as Ishwara Saguna Brahma personalized aspect of the highest reality. He is the ruler. He is the protector. But let us not forget he is also the destroyer. Nirmalaya Prashantaya Namaha Dakshinamurthy. Sache Dakshinamurthy salutations to him and here also we can understand it. Namaha means nothing belongs to me. I do not exist. Then who is saluting? No. By doing sadhana, spiritual practice when I become totally, I deny myself what remains that is Dakshinamurthy and when I attain to that state there is no I, there is no Dakshinamurthy but for the sake of meditation I am that Dakshinamurthy. Namaha means I am that Dakshinamurthy. Then we move on to the sixth. Chid Ghanaya Maheshaya Vattamola Nivasini Sachidananda Roopaya Dakshinamurthy Namaha Chid Ghanaya is the embodiment of pure consciousness. Why are we specially remembering pure consciousness? Because whether we understand or not the whole universe is nothing but pure consciousness and the universe is experienced only in three forms waking state and dream state and dream state. We know nothing about the another state excepting these three states and what are the three states? They are nothing but pure consciousness conditioned or limited by our thoughts and a thought is another form of consciousness. That is why Chid Ghana to remove consciousness you don't know whether you are alive, you don't know whether you have knowledge much less you know whether you are happy or unhappy. That's why in dreams, in dreamless deep sleep state beautifully illustrates this concept of Chid Ghana. Are you aware that you are a Jeeva? Are you aware that you are a Sadhaka? Are you aware that you are supposed to meditate? Nothing of those things will be there. So he is Maheshaya and then Vata Moola Nivasine. He always dwells at the root, at the root of a banyan tree. But forget about that word at, substitute it with as, as the root of the Samsara. We are going to see it in the Bhagavad Gita. Some of you must have seen. What is that? Urdhva Moolam Adashakam Ashwatham Prahurai The whole Samsara came from where? From Brahman. How did it come? Taittiriya Upanishad describes it in a slightly different way. Probably more clear way. What is that? Atmanaha Akashaha Akasha came from Atman or Atman grossified itself as space. Space further grossified into air. Air further grossified into fire. Fire further grossified into water. Water further grossified into earth. And all that we experience is nothing but our body and our mind. Everything is nothing but a combination of these five elements. This Vata means Samsara. Vata Vriksha, banyan tree represents Samsara. And the root cause of all the Samsara is nothing but that Divine Lord. And that is graphically described as a lotus comes out of Narayana and in that lotus Brahma is born. That's why he is called, he is born of Padma. This Padma Garbhaha is called Padma Garbhaha. But what is the Garbha? What is the cause of Brahma? That lotus. What is the cause of that lotus? Narayana. Narayana represents what we call Ishwara or Saguna Brahma. If we want to get rid of this Samsara, the only way is to take refuge in him. And then he will cut down. That's why we saw earlier Dukkha, Chetha, he is the destroyer of all the Dukkha. Dakshaha, he is the greatest person. Satchitanandarupaya, he is called Sat, he is called Ananda, he is called Chit. And he is none other than Dakshinamurthy. One point we have to remember here that Dakshinamurthy is not having these characteristics. All these characteristics are nothing but he himself. Sat, Chit, Ananda are not qualities. They are the root nature of Parabrahman. Then we move on to the sixth one. Ishwaro Gururatmeti Murtibheda Vibhagine Vyomavat Vyaptadehaya Dakshinamurthaye Namaha This is also what we call seventh Dhyana Shloka. That divine lord has divided that Parabrahma, divided himself into three parts. As what? Atma, as the manifested consciousness. Then Ishwara in the form of the creator, sustainer and destroyer. Then that same Ishwara manifested in front of everyone of us. In the form of Guru, teacher. That's why this Mola Tattva is so great. In Hinduism, Guru is always considered Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara. Not only that, these are all manifestations of Saguna Brahma, Ishwara. But then Sakshat Parabrahmane Namaha is none other than the supreme reality, the highest reality called Parabrahma. The same lord is manifesting as what? First of all as pure consciousness. Secondly, as Ishwara or the creator, sustainer and destroyer. Third, he is appearing in front of us as a teacher. Let us not take only as a spiritual teacher. Suppose someone has a great desire to become an expert pickpocket. What does he need? He must go to an expert, experienced pickpocket Guru and then sit under him, surrender himself and then receive that knowledge. Otherwise he will be caught, beaten, put in the jail and forever the desire to be a pickpocket will disappear from him. Ishwara, Guru, Atma, Iti, Moorthi Bheda Vibhagni. He is considered as three different manifestations. But the point is they are one and the same. Mother is God, Father is God, Acharya is God, friend is God and enemy is also God in the ultimate run. For an advanced student, Vidhya Vinaya Sampanne Brahmane Gavehastini Shunichaiva Swapakecha Pandithaha Samdarshinaha Viyomavat Vyaptadehaya Viyomavat, like the sky. Viyoma means Akasha. That's why when Shiva's stuti is done, boom, boom, boom they call it. Viyom, boom. Really, what is the word? Viyoma, Viyom. Viyoma means Akasha, like Akasha. Space. Vyaptadehaya. Dehaya means his form is in the form of space. Why? Because first of all space doesn't have a form. So he is formless. Where is space? Do not use the word sky. As soon as the sky is so blue, you look up. That is a wrong concept. Space means I am able to sit here because of space. I am able to move because of the space. If there is no space, nothing can be moved. Viyomavat Vyaptadehaya What is his body? Space itself is body. In other words, Akasha is his body. That means he is formless. Slowly that formless becomes with form. That is as Vayu, you can feel it. Akasha, you cannot feel it. But air, you can feel it. And then the visible form, fire, water and earth. Viyomavat Vyaptadehaya Dakshinamurthaye My salutations to that highest reality whose body is like the space and who is manifesting in this world in the form of my own consciousness Jeevatma in the form of my Guru, Guru's Atma and finally in the form of what we call Ishwara. In other words, there is no difference between me and Ishwara because I do not exist, only he exists and nothing else is there. So this is the Dhyana Mantras. Now we are ready to enter into the real what is called Dakshinamurthy Shlokas. As I mentioned, consists of 10 verses. Actually 9 verses. 10th is only another way of doing Stuti. This we will take up from our next class. Just to chant this one and with that we will close today's talk. Vishwam Darpana Drishyamana Nagare Tuliyam Nijantargatam Pashyan Atmani Mayaya Bhairiva Udbhutam Yatha Nidraya Ya Sakshaat Kurute Prabodhasamaye Swaatmanameva Advayam Tasmaye Sri Gurumurthaye Namaidham Sri Dakshinamurthaye To him who by his maya, who sees in himself the universe which is inside him as though it were outside, just as in a dream like unto a city that is seen in a mirror. To him who apprehends on awakening his own self as the one without a second. To him of the form of the Guru, the ancient of all, the blessed Dakshinamurthy is this frustration. Only one point we have to remember. Whenever we see our Guru, we have to remember he is none other than Dakshinamurthy. Why do we say so? Just now, Ishwara, Guru, Atma, Iti. Ishwara, Guru, Atma, all this is nothing but manifestation of only that one reality. Moorthi Bheda Vibhagine Vyoma Vat Vyapta Dehaya Dakshinamurthy Namaha When we remember our Gurus, when we remember Swamiji, Holy Mother, Ramakrishna, Tathapuri, Shankaracharya, then Govindacharya, Gaudapadacharya, Shukabrahma, Vedavyasa, Narayana and Parabrahma, we will have to remember they are all nothing but that Parabrahma out of compassion manifesting himself according to our capacity of understanding, our salutations to that Dakshinamurthy and we will dwell deep into this in our next class. Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayo Shritva Pranamami Mohur Mohur May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti.