Aitareya Upanishad Lecture 12 on 10 September 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

In our last class, we discussed how Bhagawan desired to create; meaning, He wanted to play with Himself. He manifested Himself, created the worlds, and formed the rulers of the worlds known as presiding deities or Adhishtatru Devatas. He also created the instruments: Bhoga Upakarana, the bodies, the Indriyas, the mind, etc. All of these he created by becoming the Pancha Bhutas. However, there was something more He needed to add. Activity requires energy, and energy requires food. Therefore, He thought, "How are these people going to function in this world if I do not provide food for them?" So, He created food.

Now, all the Indriyas got confused. They later realized that there are varieties of foods. The mouth requires one type of food, the physical body requires another type of food, and the Indriyas require yet another type of food. For example, the eye requires its own specialized type of food called colours and forms. The nostril, another example, they require the food called smell. He created all these things. Everything is ready—the house is ready, electrified, plumbing done, cars are ready, planes are ready—everything is ready. What is wanted? The person who has to enter into this in the form of Jeevatma and is required to do whatever activities he is supposed to do.

This is the most important thing. Every gadget, for example, is all first class, ready, but there is no electricity. It is not a perfect example, but just to give you an idea, it is electricity that makes the whole gadget function. In this case, it is pure consciousness, Chaitanyam, that is very necessary. And why is it necessary? I told you in the last class, don't ask God any questions—at least, don't ask me because I don't have any clue. I myself am only a Jeevatma. So you have to go to God. The funny thing is, as long as you are a Jeeva, you have questions. But when you go to God, you become God, and there will be no questions or even remembrance. At one time, I was a Jeevatma, just as when we enter into Sushupti, we don't remember having a body, a mind—pure bliss. We don't know. That is why Vedanta realizes this fact that it is unanswerable. So, it gives the answer—it is Leela. Leela means what? Another term for Maya is called Leela; in fact, it is the devotees, Bhakthas, who refer to this creation as Leela. However, according to Vedanta, it is Maya. What is Maya? It is Anirvachaniya, that which is indefinable. Is it existing? Yes. Is it non-existing? Yes. How do you reconcile contradictory and paradoxical things? It is because when you are experiencing it, then only you are asking. But if you probe a little bit, it disappears—a very beautiful concept.

Our purpose is that we are suffering, and that is going to be described now. But the very purpose of creation is just a play. That is all we can say because the world has not really been created, just like a cinema. There is no bondage, no sadhana, no mukti—as if, as if, as if. Shankaracharya also refers to it at the beginning of his Gita Bhashyam: "Jata Iva," as if he was born. According to Advaita Vedanta and Shankaracharya, the propagator of Advaita Vedanta, when the whole world itself is not born, where is the question of an incarnation coming to be born to rescue it? Rescuing is possible and necessary only if there is a real something that requires rescuing. When it is all imagination, an imaginary object can be enjoyed only by an imaginary subject—that is the view of Advaita Vedanta.

But we all know it doesn't work. We are continuously experiencing waking, dream, and Sushupti (dreamless sleep), and we know we want to be happy all the time. Anything but happiness we get—a little bit of happiness definitely we get, but most of the time it is only suffering. Who said that? Gautama Buddha said life is full of suffering, and the cause of suffering is Tanha, Trushna, thirst. What is the remedy? Get rid of the thirst. How to get rid of the thirst? Through following Ashtanga Marga, the Eightfold Path: right discrimination, right decision, right living, right speaking, right actions, right livelihood, right concentration, right meditation, and right enlightenment. Every religion preaches that we have come from God—they may say God created. In Advaita Vedanta, God cannot create; He can only manifest as if. It doesn't matter; what is absolutely agreeable is that we know we are bound, we are limited beings, and we want to be unlimited. It can be done, and that has been shown as the path by our Purva Purushas, the realized souls who came in hundreds and thousands before this time. That is what is most important.

Now we are going to enter it, having created the worlds, the world guardians, and also food by which the whole world can live and experience. The Lord thought within Himself, "What did He think?" That will come in the third section of the first chapter, the eleventh mantra:

sa IkShata katha.n nvidaM madRite syAditi sa IkShata katareNa prapadyA iti .

sa IkShata yadi vAchA.abhivyAhRita.n yadi prANenAbhiprANita.n yadi

chakShuShA dRiShTa.n yadi shrotreNa shruta.n

yadi tvachA spRiShTa.n yadi manasA dhyAta.n yadyapAnenAbhyapAnita.n

yadi shishnena visRiShTamatha ko.ahamiti .. 11..

As I mentioned, the Aitareya Rishi, also called Mahidasa, is putting it in such a peculiar language. But the summary of it, the simplified way, is that Bhagawan saw everything is ready, except one thing. What is it? It is called consciousness. Without consciousness, everything will be dead. Without the owner, as Shankaracharya gives the example, the house is ready, or the city is ready, but without the Puraswami, the Lord, the King, the ruler of the city, the city is dead. Somebody should be there, a ruler who first knows, "This is my body, this is my mind, this is my life, this is the world, these are all the objects in the world, and I am hungry. I want to eat, see, hear, smell, taste, touch, walk, grasp, answer calls of nature—everything I want to do. So, without consciousness, it is not possible.

The essence of this eleventh mantra is that Bhagawan now wanted to enter into the bodies of every living creature. This is the essence. Supposing I do not enter, what happens? "Madritam, syaditi." How is it going to function without me? If these are able to function, then who am I? Another way of saying it is, they cannot function: the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, the nostril cannot smell, the tongue cannot taste, the skin cannot touch, the legs cannot move, the hands cannot grasp, and the organ of procreation cannot procreate without consciousness. That is the essence of this eleventh mantra.

So, the creator thought within himself, "How could this aggregate of body and organs exist without me? Meaning, how could they function?" Then he said to himself, "Which way shall I enter it? So, I must enter it. Which way shall I enter?" There are many ways. Yes, there are many ways. Mainly, here two ways are proposed: from the sole of the foot or from the top of the head. From the sole of the foot, prana, which is a jada (inert) object, must enter. "And why should I, being the ruler of every single body, enter from below? I am, after all, the king, the emperor. So, I will enter through the top of the head." That is why it is said, when a new baby is born, you touch the head—middle of the head, a little bit towards the back. You see a very soft spot, and that is supposed to be the jeevatma from the previous birth, and chaitanyam enters through that. Having entered, it seals it from within, bolts it from within, and then the whole body comes out alive, and it will do what it is supposed to do.

And what is it supposed to do? Only two things. First, imagine I am bound. That means I am running after limited things. That is called bondage. This is called yavaharika. I want to transact, identifying myself: I am the body, I am the mind. Thereafter, I will get tired. This is all pre-planned like a hero. He wants to get married; the villain comes, snatches away the heroine or hero, whatever it be. Toward the end, there would be a few minutes, what is called a ridiculous fight, and then the hero overpowers the villain, and then they marry. And then, they don't show what leela is going to happen after that. "Shubham," they call it.

The second is, "So, I will pretend to be a bound soul. Then what will I do? I will go through this samsara, many, many, many lives as if for a long time. Time itself is an illusion. Time itself is a part of the creation—desha, kala. And then, after some time, I pretend I've had enough of this. I want to turn back towards God. That means I want to be my own self. I want to be me, not this body, not this mind, etc." This is called the Parama Purushartha—the highest goal of human life. This is what is the essence of this one. So, the creator thought, "If I don't enter, who is going to run the circus? Without the owner of the circus, the circus cannot run." Then he said to himself, "Which way shall I enter it?" So, he said to himself, "If speech is uttered by the organ of speech, if smelling is done by the breath, if seeing is done by the eyes, if hearing is done by the ears, touching is done by the skin, thinking by the mind, eating by the mouth or apana vayu, and the emission of semen by the organ of procreation, then who am I?

That means they cannot do without me; therefore, I must enter. This is the essence. This is called "anupravesha" in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad—a beautiful concept. The commentary on this is also called "ghatabhashyam," a very interesting bhashyam. How did this creation come? Was it existing before, or was it something new? Just like a pot, was it existing before, which became manifest, or was it completely new—no clay, no pot? This kind of time pass had taken place a long time ago, but now those things are not really relevant for us. We have to squeeze the essence. That is why Sri Ramakrishna's words are so precious.

One day, he was idly watching the Ganges flow from the banks of the Ganges, and maybe the Divine Mother wanted to show her way of creation. Suddenly, he saw the most beautiful Miss Universe coming out of the Ganges water. Very beautiful, and presently, within a twinkling of an eye, she became pregnant. She became swollen, and within a twinkling of an eye, she gave birth to a most beautiful, sweetest baby. She started suckling and looking after the baby with the greatest sarva matru bhava. The next second, she assumed a terrific, ferocious appearance and put that baby "kacha kacha kacha." She had swallowed it. And that idea is not new; it was there in the 11th chapter, "grasamana samantaha, damstra karalane mukhane thetane." So, Arjuna saw, and he got frightened, like when tigers and lions tear some meat. They don't chew; they just swallow. When they swallow, some portions are hanging between the teeth. So, they require a dentist also. Like that, this whole Divine Mother had been seen. The next second, she entered into the water, merged into the water, and in those few seconds, the Divine Mother had shown srishti, sthiti, laya. Dhananjaya, Arjuna, saw srishti, sthiti, and laya at the same time in one place, in one body of the Divine Lord. That is why it is called Vishwaroopa. That is exactly what he called later on, Maya.

Another vision I do remember. Once, I had a vision of Mother Saraswati. She was playing veena, and as she was playing, shabda started coming out. Shabda slowly transformed itself into the inorganic, organic—birds, insects, animals, creatures, crawlies, creepers, etc., etc.—and it spread throughout the world. Very soon, slowly, she was coming to the end of her play, and everything went back into the sound—shabda brahma—and again entered completely. When she stopped, the world also completely disappeared. What is the point? Everything appears to be so, but not really so. This is the fun—that we think it is completely real. "I am born, I am growing up, and I am going to die. I am suffering; I don't want to die; I don't want to suffer, and I want that knowledge." It is for the purpose of awakening to this, "Uttishtata, jagrata, prapya varan, nibodhata.

So, this is what Aitareya Rishi wants to convey to us in this eleventh mantra. I will rephrase it before delving into the next mantra. The Lord saw that the whole world was ready, excepting consciousness, and thought, "I want to enter into it." Then he contemplated, "If I do not enter, the eye cannot see, the ear cannot hear, and so on." This means that all the sense organs, organs of action, and the mind cannot function without that pure consciousness. At the beginning, pure consciousness identifies itself with specific aspects—for example, when the eye sees, the jeevatma thinks, "I am seeing," not identifying with the entire body. Similarly, with hearing, smelling, tasting, touching, and so on. Although we may think our whole body is reacting, only that particular identity works at that moment. It happens so quickly that we perceive all sense organs functioning and identify with every function simultaneously. However, this is not a correct view; it just happens rapidly.

In the initial stages, the jeevatma goes through 84 lakh janmas (births) and then becomes a human being. Several hundred births pass from shudra to vaisya to kshatriya to brahmana. Then, one day, the jeevatma awakens and turns attention from the external world to the internal, from the effect to the cause. This is the essence.

Quoting Shankaracharya occasionally for his superb language, he says, "Saha evam saloka loka pala sanghata sthiti nimittam krittva." Here, "saha" refers to Bhagwan, and "sanghata" means a conglomeration or mixture of many things together. The term 'sanghata' refers to something, such as a house consisting of many, many, many parts—windows, floors, doors, walls, skyscrapers, and everything. However, it is not meant for its own sake; rather, it is intended for the sake of a living being. This is what is called 'sanghata.' The entire world, including our body, mind, and the external environment, internal world, shareera, mana, jagat, whole thing is a conglomeration, is a sanghata. The rule is that a sanghata is never for itself because it is not conscious; it is inert. Therefore, there must be a conscious being, and that being is for 'sthiti nimittam'. For the sthiti nimittam, how to use this sanghata, the jagat, krittva, he created it. Shankaracharya illustrates this by saying, "Pura paura tat palai truhu." If there is a city, there must be a ruler of that city. To fulfil that, "Samam svameva ekshata," may I become that Swami by entering into them. However, the question arises, "Katham nukhena prakarena?" How am I going to enter? By which doorway am I going to enter? Having cogitated on this, "Iti vitarkaya idam madhrute mam antarena," without me, if I do not enter into this sanghata, "Pura svaminam edhidam karyakaran sanghata karyam vakshamanam," how is it going to function? "Katham nukhalu mam antarena parartham sathasyat," without my help, how will it accomplish its purpose? This aligns with what we discussed earlier—that a house, car, pen, table, everything is useless unless there is a living being to use it. Hence, the Lord says, "I want to enter it," and now he is going to enter. That is what he wants to convey.

So now, let's explore the 12th mantra in the 3rd section of the 1st chapter.

After contemplating, the Paramatma asked himself, "Now, I want to enter. How should I enter?" This could be done either through the toes or through the crown of the head. Now, which way should I choose? After a bit more reflection, he decided he would certainly not enter through the toes because that is the entrance for his lower manifestation, the Prana. There is a Shruti passage that mentions Prana entering through the soles or toes of the feet, as Shankaracharya reminds us. However, being the owner, the Paramatma decided to enter from the top. Just as a king never travels except through the royal road, he will not go through the small byways. Prime Minister Modi is certainly not going to travel through these small Varanasi lanes. I think you have seen Varanasi lanes; even excluding cows and simplistic devotees like us, nobody can walk through these lanes and byways. It will be cows, our sacred mothers, who will be the ones blocking the way. Why do you want to take the trouble? I will pave the entire thing with my dung, and then you can feel very holy after walking over me. No. Similarly, the Paramatma, as the owner, decided to enter only through the top of the head. This entry is described as "slitting" the top, and that's why it is called Brahmarandhra, a term that will be further explained in the 12th mantra.

sa etameva sImAna.n vidaryaitayA dvArA prApadyata . saiShA vidRitirnAma dvAstadetannA.andanam.h .

tasya traya AvasathAstrayaH svapnA ayamAvasatho.ayamAvasatho.ayamAvasatha iti .. 12..

So, what did the Paramatma do? He decided to enter through the slit at the top of the head, piercing the head at the place where the parting of the hair ends, which is in the middle. This entrance point is known as Brahmarandhra or Pidhruthi, meaning a beautiful door or cleft. It's called the place of bliss, and the significance of this designation will be explored later. The Atman entered through this doorway, identified with the body, and prepared to function as an actor on the stage after studying the script.

The Lord has three abodes or conditions of sleep. The 12th mantra mentions one abode, another, and the third mysteriously without enumerating the three. Shankaracharya helps us understand this, and we'll delve into that shortly. What did the Lord do? Saha, that Paramatma, or in this case, the creator, entered through the top of the head, which is referred to as simanam. He pierced it, making a hole, and this act is considered holy. Etam eva simanam, he made his entrance from the top of the head through this doorway, and the entire body-mind complex came out alive. This entry point is called vidruti, meaning the place of happiness. Another name for it is tananan, where "andanam" refers to nandanam, a term signifying an instrument of bliss or a place of bliss.

Because we have to remember two words—very important words—interchangeably, we use them: happiness and bliss. Many times, we use these same words synonymously, but through what is called technical jargon, there is a lot of difference. What is the difference? Happiness is always accompanied by unhappiness; we can never get cold without heat, good without evil, birth without death. So this happiness will never come. In fact, happiness is the opposite of unhappiness. If we don't pay the price of suffering, the joy of experiencing happiness can never take place. Earlier, I have explained this: the more hungry we are, the more we enjoy; the more thirsty we are, the more we enjoy drinks; the more tired we are, the more we experience rest or sleep, etc. So, it is not about money or material. If we want to enjoy, we have to pay. The greater the payment, the greater the suffering. When the relief comes, the happiness or joy will also be greater.

What is Anandam? Anandam is actually a word used to define God as one of these characteristics. Anandam means it is infinite; it doesn't have its opposite. Anandam doesn't have Niranandam; Sukham has got Dukham. Anandam is pure bliss, pure means unadulterated by anything else. So, is there no joy in this world? There is joy, there is Sukham accompanied by Dukham—I think more Dukham than Sukham. But if somebody wants Ananda, then he has to go back to the cause, which is Paramatma. This is called Anandamaya Kosha. Even in deep sleep, the distinction between the subject and object is completely obliterated. That is why we get so much bliss. It is compared to poor man's Samadhi. But if we want the highest happiness available, it is in Brahma Loka. How can Brahma Loka be attained? Only by departing at the time of death through Brahmarandhra. It is said that only yogis who either want to go to Brahma Loka or want to become one with Brahman depart through the Brahmarandhra. After Swami Vivekananda's passing away, there were a few drops of blood at the top of his head. But really speaking, that's not important for us. Why? Because a Paramagnani, a Brahmagnani, doesn't go anywhere. It is not a place to go, and he never says, 'I am going.' He simply knows, 'I am infinite.' Where does the infinite go? Can infinite travel from place to place? That is impossible.

So, this is the meaning: Bhagawan, having thought, 'Let me enter and become a jeevatma for some time.' How did he enter? He pierced, as if made a hole—very holy. It is called Brahmarandhra, at the top of the head, and he entered into it, sealed it, and then started behaving like a Jeevatma. Simanam, Vidarya etaya dvara, having pierced by that very hole, dvara, prapadyata, he became Jeevatma. Saisha idhruti nama, what is the name of that hole? Idhruti. Idhruti means what? A place of happiness. And then, padetat nandanam, as Shankaracharya says, andanam is the Rishi's usage. The correct grammatical usage should be nandanam. That's why we say nandamaya swaminandamaya, nandanam. Nandanam means a great place of bliss. You can call it Brahma Loka or you can call it Brahmananda Loka. Thus, he became Jeevatma. And having become Jeevatma, how does he continue this leela, this journey?

Slowly, first evolution. First, he was as if without life; then he became with life—one-celled, two-celled, and then four-celled, multi-celled. Then creepies and crawlers, worms; then plants; then birds; then animals; then lower human beings—slowly went on evolving until he developed satvaguna. And then, he turns back. And that he has to perform this baddhavastha, bound condition. And how is he bound? Tasya, Jeevasya, Trayaha Avasadha—three dwellings are there. Trayaha, Swapnaha—all the three, paradoxically, they are called Swapnaha. Swapna means dreams. What are we talking about? The waking state, dream state, and also Pratibhasika Sathya or Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti. Swapna, we can understand; dream state, we can understand—that is a dream. How is this waking state a dream state? Just as when we enter into the dream state, until that time, we think that the waking state is real. But when we enter into the dream state, the dream state becomes real. I hope we understand—when we say the dream is real, so long as we are experiencing the dream, then in contrast, Jagrat avastha becomes unreal. When we enter into the Jagrat avastha, Swapna avastha becomes Swapna. When we enter into the dream state, Jagrat becomes Swapna—one makes the other Swapna because there cannot be two independent realities. Okay, Jagrat is Swapnam, Swapnam is Swapnam. What is the third Swapnam? The third Swapnam is called deep sleep. Why? Because it is called Karana Shariram. Jagrat and Swapna—they stem from Sushupti avastha. And therefore, because it is the cause, if the effect is Swapnas, the cause also must be Swapna. So all the three are Swapnas. Is it right? Absolutely right. First, we wake up from the dream state, then study the waking state, we compare it to the dream state, and then we find that after all, there is not much difference. Just as a dream comes to an end, everything in this world also comes to an end—except, in calling it a slightly different state, from the reality point of view, both are dream states only. And these two are effects of Sushupti avastha. Therefore, if the effects are dream states, the cause also must be a dream state only. So when we wake up from the dream state, and then we think this is real, but after discrimination, we find waking also is Swapna. That means, just as we woke up from the dream into the waking, one day we will wake up from this so-called wake-up state into the real state—from where there is no further waking up. That is why, from the Paramarthika point of view, all these three, there are only three avasthas. That is what is said, Trayaha avasataha. Trayaha, three states. Avasataha means state. Trayaha, Swapnaha. All the three are comparable to dreams. That means unreal. That means temporary. That means we should never rely upon them. And Ayam avasataha. Ayam avasataha. Ayam avasataha. Three times he is repeating. Don't forget. Why? Because we have to get up. And that is what the realized soul teaches: 'Uthishtataha, Jagrataha, Prapyavarana, Nivodataha.' Uthishtataha. One way of interpreting it.

From the viewpoint of this twelfth mantra, Swami Vivekananda was very fond of uttering these words. 'Uthishtataha' means wake up from the dream state. 'Jagrataha' means wake up from the Jagratavastha also. And then how to wake up? So you approach great people. 'Prapyavarana.' 'Varana' means people who know how to realize God because they realized God. They know the pathway. Only they can tell us. An expert guide only can guide us safely. Approach them. Learn from them. And then get out of these three dreams. Which three dreams? Jagrat, Swapna, and Sushupti. Get out. So these are the three. This is what he wants to tell about this. So beautifully, you know. Jagrat, Swapna, and Sushupti. Now somebody else had come along. He gave another interpretation for these three states. What is this state? So for that, he takes the example of our own body. Our body came from whom? From our mother. And the mother's body, only for nine months, we are formed of the mother's body. We are nourished by the mother's body, and we are ejected from the mother's body. So our body is the third body. And what is the second body? Mother's body. And what is the first body? Because no female can give birth unless there is a union with the male. So the first body is father's body. Pitru Shariram. Second body is Matru Shariram. And the third body is Swa Shariram or our present life. So this is another interpretation. I think I would prefer our first interpretation. That is all the three—Jagrat, Swapna, and Sushupti. All are dreams. That is what Swami Vivekananda said. If you have to dream, you dream real dreams. What is a real dream? Waking up from the dreams is called the real dream. So this is the end. And then it is said when a person realizes, 'I am falling headlong, I am bound, but there is a way out.' What is the way out? There is a beautiful song in Bengali. What is the way out? That way through which we entered into, that is the doorway to get out also. How did Paramatma enter into? Through the Brahmarandhra. So what is the way to get out? Brahmarandhra. That is a beautiful idea. The Atman dwells in this and experiences these three. But there is also in Mandukya Upanishad we have seen, Gaudapada's Karika, the Atman dwells during the waking state in the right eye, Dakshinakshi. And during the dream state, Paramatma or Brahman dwells in the mind. And when he goes into deep sleep, he withdraws into the heart space, Hridaya Kuhara. So these three abodes, also the abode of the Jeevatma. That is to say, first you go from the gross into the subtle, then from the subtle into the causal, from the causal into the Mahakarana. That is the real cause which is Paramatma. And here Shankaracharya, it's a beautiful commentary. An unenlightened person, that is a bound jeevatma during the waking state, is ignorant of truth and takes the unreal to be the real. That is why we have a tremendous prayer. Asatoma Sadgamaya, Tamasoma Jyotirgamaya, Mrityorma Amrutangamaya.' So he understands who the Supreme Self, Omniscient Self, Immutable Self, passes successively through the three states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, completely oblivious of His true nature. Though afflicted with miseries from the millions of hammer blows of worldly calamities, enjoys happily the slumber created by ignorance, which comes naturally to all phenomenal existence. Then he wakes up one day. Aavrutta Chakshoho, Amrutatma Michchan.' And that is what is going to be described so beautifully. Though a little bit difficult language, and that is why I am not emphasizing, analysing the language because it is very difficult even to remember, but we get the essence of it.

In this 13th mantra, the Upanishad explains that a Sadhaka, a Vedantin, a spiritual aspirant, arrives at the knowledge of Atman through Shravana, Manana, Nidhidhyasana, and through the discussion of superimposition and how to get rid of the superimposition. Superimposition is called Adhyaropa, and its removal is called Apavada. Until now, the Jeeva is going through Churasi Lak Janam, having described superimposition, which accounts for the appearance of the universe and diversity. Now, the Upanishad, in this 13th mantra, wants to explain to us how to get out of it, about what is the refutation called Apavada. So, we enter into the 13th mantra.

sa jAto bhUtAnyabhivyaikhyat.h kimihAnya.n vAvadiShaditi .sa etameva

puruShaM brahma tatamamapashyat.h . idamadarshanamitI .. 13..

What is the essence? He looked and then he looked back. He looked forward. What did he do? Like a person lost in a trackless forest. 'Oho! I entered into it. I thought some nice things are available here, and I will get out of it after gathering. But then I see that I am entering into a deeper and deeper forest, a trackless forest. It will be difficult to trace my way either forward or backward or in any direction. So why should I go on thinking about it? Why should I go on living this kind of life?' Then he saw, 'If I can find out a way out, then I will be freed from this samsara arnava.' Remember samsara arnava because God created hunger and thirst, and then Jeeva had fallen. That is insatiable hunger, insatiable thirst. For what? For this worldly experience. But the same insatiable hunger and thirst can now be turned back for the realization of God. And that is the only condition. Insatiable thirst, which Sri Ramakrishna used to call paramam yakulata. Narada also says, 'tad virahe paramam yakulatati.' A bhakta, when he forgets God, becomes terribly anxious, longing like a baby who cannot see the mother, becomes completely confused. So this advanced Jeevatma, going through all the births, entering into the human birth, going through all this tamoguna, rajoguna, acquiring satvaguna, becomes wiser and turns his back against the world. That is called sanyasam. And he enters, he is thinking, 'I must go back to my origin, which is Paramatma.' Where from he gets it? From Guru's mouth. Where from the Guru gets it? From Ishwara himself. And what does Ishwara teach? That also we have seen. Where from? Through scriptures. He teaches through Guru parampara. Paramapurusha taught it to Brahma. Brahma taught it to his four mentally born children. And they passed it on. And Shankaracharya and Asmath Guru Paramparaam. Shankaracharya Madhyamaam. Asmath Guru Paramparaam. Until my own Guru. Everybody is teaching that you have to go back to that highest condition. This is what he wants to tell. Having been born as the Jeeva, Bhagwan, that is Jeevatma. Jeevatma was never Jeevatma. But he temporarily thought he was Jeevatma. He was really Paramatma. He realized that all these Pancha Bhutas, Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Apaha, Prithvi, as one with himself. That is, I am bound Jeevatma.

What else here would one desire to speak about? So long as we are identified, even Paramatma has become Jeevatma. And what can he speak? But he wakes up because of intolerable, irremediable sufferings. He has to wake up. There is no choice. There is no other way. He perceived this very person, the all-pervading Brahma. He said, 'Ah, I have seen it.' So he turned his mind back and then he meditated Guru Upadesha, and he slowly progressed. And then one day, Bhagwan's grace, that is his own grace, Atma Kripa, he woke up. 'Aham Brahmasmi.' But it has to come through the teaching of the Guru, 'Tattvamasi,' etc.

Now, this Jeevatma is constantly traveling from one neighbourhood to another, from one janma to another, from one state to another, in this trackless samsara for many numbers of lives, Churasi lakh janam. And all this, we have to understand in brackets. And he suffered it. That is why even Bhagavad Gita tells, 'Aneka janma samsiddha tato yadi pramagati.' At last, he wakes up. What does he do? Mundakopanishad puts it beautifully, 'Pariksha lokan karma chitan brahmanah nirveda mayat.' A Brahmana examines all that he has done, is doing, and then he finds everything is lacking. And then what does he do? 'Nirveda mayat.' Through discrimination, he develops vairagyam. That is called nirveda. And then what does he do? Takes to the life of sanyasa. 'Kim aham ayam loka haithi.' So for us who want, who desire, Atmaloka, Putraloka, Jayaloka, Pitraloka, all these things are completely unnecessary. So Shankaracharya, while commenting upon this 13th, he says, beautifully he puts, 'Saha,' this Jeevatma, who is, in fact, none other than Paramatma, 'Kadachit,' at one point of time, 'Paramakarunikena,' he comes across a most compassionate teacher, 'Acharyena,' 'Atmajnana prabodha prith.' What does the Acharya do? 'Atmajnana prabodha.' That is, he teaches him the true knowledge of the Self. How? Through Shabdikayam. Through his teachings, words. What type of words? 'Vedanta Mahabheriyam.

A fellow was sleeping, Kumbhakarna, and then a big drum is taken, a huge drum, and with a huge hammer-like, go on beating near his ears. That is what our Acharyas do. My children, wake up, Uthishtata, Jagrata, Prapyavarannibodhata,' and what is that sound that comes? It is called Bheri, means a big drum. And what is that Bheri? Vedanta Bheri. That is, Shankaracharya names it Vedanta Bheri. The sounds of Vedanta. What is it? What Vedanta? 'Tattvamasi.' 'Uthishtata, Jagrata, Prapyavarannibodhata.' Mahavakyas. So there is only one way, through Mahavakya shravana. And until the disciple wakes up, he goes on telling that. And this is the fate of every single Jeeva. Nobody will be left behind. Everybody will only be attaining to that. But for that, he has to take the very, very pathway that he came down. Suppose you are traveling, you lost the pathway, and you realize you have taken a wrong turn in the road, what will you do? Through that very path, you have to come. So how to do it? This we will actually discuss in our next class. But this is the way. So I am thinking, I am the gross body, Prithvi, merge Prithvi in its Karana, which is called Jalam, subtle. And then after some time, I am not Jalam, I am Agni. After some time, I am not Agni, I am Vayu. After some time, I am not Vayu, I am Akasha. After some time, I am not Akasha, I am Paramatma Himself. This is the pathway, this is how, from the lower chakra to the higher chakra, and ultimately he reaches to Brahmarandra, and then breaking open the Brahmarandra once more, opening it. So what is the password? Brahmarandra has got a password, and that password is Aham Brahmasmi.' And then the door opens, and then he becomes free. This is beautifully described, and we will discuss it in our next class.