Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 27 on 03 June 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So we are studying the fourth chapter of the Shweta Shwetara Upanishad. And this entire, particularly this entire fourth chapter is all about Sharanagati. And it is all about Gayatri. What is the relationship between Sharanagati and Gayatri? You may be wondering. And the Gayatri Mantra says the whole universe is created by you. That is why we say tat savituhu. Savitu means creator. And we have come from you. And we have to go back to you. Therefore we surrender ourselves to you. That is the meaning of dhimahi. We do Upasana. We want to approach nearer to you. And you bestow your grace because even this act of self-surrender is not possible without your grace. Dhiyo yonah prachodaya. This is exactly the meaning given here. So in our last class, I was trying to give you the Sri Ramakrishna's concept. What is Maya? And is it an enemy of God? Is it separate from God? Is it a reality? Or is it unreal? There is a complete revolutionary change through the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. What is it? First of all, Sri Ramakrishna says that this what you call Maya has no deluding power. Yes, there are certain words. It deludes. He uses conventionally. But he says it is Divine Mother, Mahamaya. So from Maya to Mahamaya, from that which has to be shunned, to be conquered, to be overcome, to be destroyed, to you adore her, you worship her, you surrender to her. Why? Because without Mother's grace, nothing can happen. At some point, Ramakrishna says that even meditation is also in the kingdom of the Divine Mother. Unless she permits, no one can really completely surrender to God. She has to do it. Did he clearly say that? Yes, he said that. And now to understand his teachings, Lato Maharaj has clarified it very beautifully. He said, everybody says Maya is an enemy of God. Then he asked certain devotees who used to frequent Swami Adbhutananda, Does this Maya belong to God or not? They said, yes, it belongs to God. And so is it God's power or not? Yes, it is God's power. So is God good or bad? Of course, even if they think otherwise, they can't tell the opposite. So God is very good. If a person is good, will he use his power for good or evil? And they were forced to admit, yes. But Maharaj, we have been hearing from so many Acharyas, not so many Acharyas, only Advaita Acharyas, that it is deluding power of God. He says, no, it is not deluding power of God. It is a correcting power of God. What is the difference between deluding? It means the Divine Mother thinks that this fellow doesn't belong to me. He is my enemy. I will destroy him. That is called deluding power. Correcting power, this is my child. And he is too much engrossed in play. He has forgotten me. Yes, I want him to come to me. I want him to call me Ma, O Mother. And I want to hug him. I want to give. I cannot wait. I have so many things to give to my child. But unfortunately, he is not coming to me. I want to bring him to me. I want to give, bestow everything. Even an ordinary mother, this is the idea. So Sairam Krishna says, what we call the so-called deluding power is to draw near. This in modern psychological language is called the carrot and stick method. You want to discipline somebody who is not disciplined, who is indisciplined, who is not behaving properly. What do you do? You show him a nice carrot. Carrot means anything that tempts him. So, by the way, we have to be a little more intelligent than children. So sometimes we want to tempt. I will give you a thousand rupees if you come to me. What does the child want to know? I will give you a Mercedes car. What does the child want with Mercedes car? No, because he is much more intelligent. He says, why should I own? Let my father own it. Let him buy it. Let him maintain it. Let him drive me. I will just sit and enjoy. And the stupid fellow doesn't know what the child is aiming at. So a child has to be disciplined. Show him. Everybody is a child. Even a grown-up person is a child. Swamiji used to call such people moustached babies. They have developed moustaches, but they have not developed an iota of intelligence. So the carrot brings near, catch hold of that fellow, give him a big slap. That is called showing the stick. Showing the carrot, draw near. Then bring out the stick and then give him. And after a few times, the trainee understands, I am being trained. And then voluntarily he turns to God. This is the process. How does it apply to us? Along with quotations also, I will give you how it works out. In the Bhagavad Gita itself, the first fact Krishna affirms, confirms is, this Maya is consisting of three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. And this Maya consisting of three Gunas belongs to me. And it is Daivi Maya, not Manushi Maya, not Pashu Maya. It is Daivi Maya. Daivihi Esha Gunamayi Mama Maya. This is my power. That means what I am manifesting in the form of the Maya. So when you want to do something, you are filled with energy and you express in activity. It is the power of you. Similarly, God wants to create, so He created. It is Prakruti or Maya. And it is mine. It is divine. Mamevaye prapadyante etam mayam te taranti. And whoever worships me, loves me, adores me, wants to come to me, then what does he do? This very Maya, I will turn it as the very vehicle traveling on which that child of mine will travel faster to me. What are we talking about? Prakruti is Divine Mother. Divine Mother manifests as body and mind. What for body and mind are given? To travel back to God. So everything is God. Our health is God. Our understanding is God. Our desire is God. A favorable environment is God. Everything is God's grace. God, but in the form of His grace. This is what is telling. And in the Kata Upanishad, in every Upanishad, we get praise and praises. As we know, Vedas are divided into two parts. First part is called ritualistic portion called Karma Kanda. Second is called Jnana Kanda. And so many Prabuddhas. Prabuddhas means stupid fellows. Very peculiar Sanskrit term. Prabuddha means enlightened people, awakened people. But by proxy, it means stupid fellows. This is how in Sanskrit, somebody is derided. So this praise, the ritualistic portion, Karma Kanda is called praise. What does it give? It gives Dharma, Artha and Kama. Why do we say it gives? Because it is the scripture who is giving. It is the Veda which is giving. Not to modern scientists, modern psychologists. But it is the Veda that is giving. And whatever Veda does is for the good of everybody. There is no discrimination there. So what does Karma Kanda do? It makes a person Dharmic. It makes a person believe that there is good action and evil action. And both bring their own appropriate results. If you want, and everybody wants, only the results of good actions. So one must assiduously avoid all evil actions. But these very things, through prayer, through Japa, through performance of what they call Ishta and Poortha. Ishta means prayer, etc. Poortha means public service, social service. Through both of them, the mind becomes purified and slowly it wants to move forward. So I have desires, fine. And I want to accumulate a lot of things, fine. But there is a way to accumulate, to enjoy. There is a way not to accumulate. That is called the Dharmic way. So the first result of prayers is Dharma. Second result of prayers is Artha and Kama. And through that, slowly the person's mind becomes pure. And then he will slowly progress towards God. That is why the Ashramas are divided in an evolutionary scale. First, you know what should be done. Second, try to do it without deviation. Third, you develop faith, concentration, and that understanding that my destination is God. And then surrender totally to God. And you will know that you are none other than God. And that is called Mukti or Moksha. And that last stage is called Sannyasa Ashrama. And this is what Sri Ramakrishna had come to confirm, what Bhagavan Krishna had already outlined. And then there is no division between Purusha and Prakruti. That also in the seventh chapter we get, Bhoomi Aapaha Nalaha Vayuhokham Manaha Buddhirevacha Ahamkaraithiyamme Bhinnaah Prakruti Ashtada I have two natures. One is called Subject. Another is called Object. A subjective nature is called Chidabhasa. An objective nature is called Body and Mind. And this Body and Mind are made up of subtle five elements and gross five elements. That's what he wants to say. Bhoomi Aapaha Nalaha Vayuhokham. Panchamahabhutas, these are created out of five gross elements. Manaha, Buddhi, Ahamkara. So these are the internal, that is the mind. Sokshma Deha, Karana Deha. And they are made out of Tanmatras or subtle five elements. But both are originating from me only. So what are we talking about? God and this world, God and Prakruti, God and Maya are not two inimical things. But they are one and the same. Without manifestation, the Supreme Reality is called Brahman. With manifestation, it is called Ishwara, Prakruti, Maya, Saguna Brahma, Hiranyagarbha, Virat, Sutratma, Prajapati, so many names are there. So what is the main point? Main point is take refuge in the Divine Power. Don't call it Maya. Call her Divine Mother. And that is what Chandi also beautifully outlines. Yadhevi Sarvabhuteshu, several things. Shakti, Buddhi, Matrubhava, Daya, Vidya, Vritti, Lajja, Kshudha, etc. Everything that we human beings and animals, every living creature manifests, that is nothing but Divine Mother. In fact, we do not exist, only the Divine Mother exists. So the idea is take refuge. This is Shri Krishna's teaching, Shri Rama's teaching. Take refuge, whoever takes refuge in me, I will never give him up. This was the assurance given to Vibheshana just before the commencement of war with Ravanasura. Shri Krishna tells, Sarva Dharmaan Parityajyam Aamey Kam Sharanam Rajam. And in this context, I want to bring out to your notice a beautiful incident that happened in Varanasi. Holy Mother was staying in Lakshmi Nivas. Swami Brahmanandaji was staying in our Ashrama. One day, Holy Mother sent a devotee to ask Raja Maharaj. She used to call him Rakhal. Ask Rakhal, why one should worship Mahamaya? And then the devotee came. Perhaps it is for the enlightenment of the devotee. So the devotee comes and asks. This is what Holy Mother asked. Immediately, Raja Maharaj jumped up and said, unless Mahamaya, out of sheer grace, opens the door to Mukti, nobody can enter into the kingdom of Mukti. Saying this, he started dancing and lost all outward consciousness until Holy Mother, learning of it, comes and says, My child, I brought some Prasada. Please come. And immediately, as soon as he heard, he came back to normal consciousness. So this is the message. Even Gnanis also, even Shankara was forced to say, as soon as he touched the Divine Mother in the form, guise of an old woman, he lost all power and he was forced to say, Gatistram, Gatistram, Gatistram, Tameka Bhavani. There is no other way, no other venue of escape, excepting taking complete refuge in you, O Mother. But only thing is, later on, people have totally misunderstood, misrepresented, but it doesn't matter. The saints always have said, this is what I wanted to tell you. There is no Maya. Everything belongs to God. And if we take refuge in God, that idea that everything belongs to God and I have to take refuge in God, I cannot behave as I like, is what Sri Ramakrishna used to call Vidya Maya. For a long time, we will be in Vidya Maya with Ahankara, egotism. But a time will come for us to go back and the Divine awakens us, sometimes if necessary, with a rude bit of shock. This is what I wanted to convey to you. With this background, we will continue. So, there is a beautiful verse, a mantra, coming in the 10th mantra, 4th chapter of the Shweta Shwetara Upanishad. Mayaham tu prakrutim vidyat mayi nancha maheshwaram tasya avayava bhutaisthu vyaktam sarvam idam jagat Know that Prakruti is Maya and that the Great God is the Lord of Maya. The whole universe is filled with objects, which are parts of His being. Very simple. There is God, there is Maya, and God is the Lord of Maya, the ruler of Maya. And the whole universe is nothing but manifestation of Maya. This is what one's true... What does it mean? It means I, you, everything, everybody, living, non-living, is only manifestation of God's power, which is called either Maya or Prakruti. Why two words? We can use many words, but it doesn't matter. But it means the same thing, as I said, with a slight difference. When we are specifically using the word Prakruti, it means the raw material out of which this whole universe has been created, especially with the help of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. But there is something, attachment, forgetfulness of God, in the form of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Madha, Matsarya. That aspect of the Prakruti is called Maya. So Maya, you can say, manifestation of God as this universe, especially every person's body and mind, but the wrong understanding, raw understanding, initial understanding, which seems to keep us attached to this world, making us born again and again, can be called as Maya. But as I just now explained, really the purpose of Maya is not to delude. No mother will ever delude her own child. Even if you want to use it in a crudest form, will any woman, being a mother, become naked and tempt her own child? I am a beautiful woman, come and embrace me. Let us forget the whole thing. No mother will ever do it. And how can the Divine Mother, who is the Divine, be expected to do that? No. Then what is her play? This is her Leela. This is her training. This is the stick and carrot. Slowly she is leading us. Her only purpose in life is to sport a little bit and ultimately make us join the Divine Lord, which is none other than her own higher form. So Brahman's higher form is Brahman. Brahman's lower form is Prakruti or Ishwara. And Prakruti's lower form is this entire manifestation. And Prakruti's higher form is called Brahman. Brahman and Shakti are completely one. So in this, which we dealt in our last class, that there are two aspects. So long as we are having a body-mind, we can only think of Saguna Brahma and where from the Saguna Brahma has come? From Nirguna Brahma. So that Nirguna Brahma is the highest reality. He is the master. He is called My Maheshwaram. He is the greatest ruler. And he who rules and what he rules upon, that is called Mahamaya. In fact, it is not somebody else. A king is ruling over somebody and that somebody is different. The king is different. Here it is not like that. A mother is ruling the child for the growth of the child only, betterment of the child only. So that is the first part. Prakruti is called Maya. And the lord of the Prakruti is Maheshwara. And what is this world then? Sarvam Hidam Jagat Tasya Avayava Bhutai Manifestation in the form of Panchamahas, Thulabhutas, Panchatanmatras or subtle elements and the whole show, what we call the world, cosmos, is nothing but these two. What is the idea? The idea is that if we understand, whatever we are looking at is nothing but Brahman. And here are a few teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. Maya is to Brahman what the snake in motion is to the snake at rest. Snake at rest is Brahman. Snake in motion is Maya. That is one without activity. Another is with activity. Force in action is Maya. Force in potency is Brahman. As the water of the ocean is now calm and next agitated into waves, so are Brahman and Maya. The ocean in the tranquil state is Brahman and in the turbulent state Maya. The relation of Brahman to Shakti is that of fire to its burning property. What does it mean? It means you cannot separate, so the burning power and fire are exactly the same. You can call it burning power or you can call it fire. It doesn't matter. You can never separate them. Shiva and Shakti are both necessary for creation. With dry clay, Sri Ramakrishna, as I mentioned many times, is what is called super master of similes like Kalidasa. Shiva and Shakti are both necessary for creation. Sri Ramakrishna is giving an example. With dry clay, no potter can make a pot. Water also is necessary. So Shiva alone cannot create without the help of Shakti. In fact, the very first line of Saundarya Lahari, Shiva shakti ayukto yadi bhavati na prabhavitam shaktaha. It is not possible for Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara to perform their actions if Shakti is not united to them. Prabhavitam na shaktaha. None of them could do anything because we also cannot do anything without any energy. Even to think energy is needed. This is what Sri Ramakrishna wants to say. So he is narrating once his vision. Desirous of seeing Maya, I had one day a vision. A small drop slowly expanded and formed itself into a girl. The girl became a woman and gave birth to a child. And as soon as the child was born, she took it up and swallowed it. In this way, many children were born to her and were all devoured by her. Then I knew that she was Maya. What is devouring? Not destroying. Taking the child back into Herself. Taking Herself back into Herself. Because who is the child? It is the mother only. So this is what we wanted to create. Earlier I told you. So Sri Ramakrishna continues, you know. Says Maya has two aspects. Vidya Maya and Avidya Maya. What is the function of Avidya Maya? To train. To make each one of us fit. To receive Her grace in the form of knowledge. What is the function of Vidya Maya? To give us the right understanding. To guide us to the right goal. And to help us progress and finally become one. So Maya does nothing without the command of the Lord. When it is said God creates, it means God is functioning through Maya, is creating this world. So the question whether Maya is real or unreal is a redundant question. How can God's power be unreal? If you say Maya is unreal, if you say Maya is God's power and if God's power is unreal, God also becomes unreal. If we have an iota of intelligence to think about it. Maya cannot have any separate reality apart from God. And God becomes unreal if Maya becomes unreal. So therefore we have to take the help of Maya. But it cannot be described. That is why it is called Anirvachaniya. But aghatana ghatana patiyasi. Maya can make the impossible possible. It made Brahman Jeeva. And it can again make Jeeva as Brahman. And this idea is continued in the eleventh mantra. So what type of knowledge do we require? Vidya Maya. What is Vidya Maya? That which tells us what is life for. What is the goal of life? What is our nature? How to strive? Finally unite with God. That is called knowledge. Right knowledge. Self-knowledge. And that alone can give us total peace called Mukti. So Shri Ramakrishna used to say the realization of God is the only goal of life. Eleventh mantra. Remember these are all Gayathri mantras. Different explanations you can say. Different expressions also you can say. Eleventh mantra goes like this. यो योनिम् योनिम् अधितेष्टति एकः यस्मिन्निदम् सम्च विचैति सर्वं तम्युशानम् वरदम् वेवं ईदियम् निचाय इमाम् शान्तिम् अत्यंतम् एति By realizinging that one Lord who presides over every womb, in whom everything exists and merges, who bestows boons, and who is self-revealing and adorable, only by realizing Him, one attains supreme peace. Supreme peace means what? So there are temporary peaces. We are hungry, we eat food, temporarily we get some satisfaction. We are thirsty, drink water. We are tired, we take rest. We have some other desire, we fulfill it temporarily. Everything is temporary. That is called peace. Fulfillment or destruction, removal of desires is called peace. But that is called supreme peace where we will have no desires. Why can't we have any desires? Because we know there is nothing for me to desire. I am everything and there is nothing besides me. Therefore, if there is nothing, we don't desire. It is a very peculiar piece of psychology. If you don't know something exists, you will never desire it. So 200 years back, I want to fly by aeroplane. Nobody would have desired it. I want to have a Mercedes car. Nobody would have desired it. I want to have a first class refrigerator. Nobody would have desired it. Why? For the simple reason that such a thing did not exist at all. So in this eleventh mantra, what is it telling? That it is the Divine Lord who created. It is the Divine Lord who is manifesting as everything, everybody. And the whole universe comes out of Him. Your whole universe enters into Him. And so, knowing Him, the Divine Lord, as such, and what is His nature? He is the ultimate goal. He is Varadham. He is the Ishanam, ruler of everybody. Ruler means what? Many times I told you, we have to remember again and again certain words. What is the meaning of ruler? Clay is the ruler of every pot. Gold is the ruler of every ornament. And wood is the ruler of every piece of furniture. That means without which something cannot exist. That is called its substratum, its ruler. That is the real meaning of Ishanam. That is why the very first mantra of Isavasya Upanishad, in fact, the Upanishad derives its name only because of that first mantra. Isavasyam Idagam Sarvam Yatkincha Jagatyaam Jagat Tenat Yattena Bhunjaitha Maagradhaha Kasyasvid Dhanam So, He is called Ishanam and He is like a Divine Mother, like a loving mother. Varadham, whatever the baby wants, even if it doesn't know, She will give. Because She knows what the baby needs. He is Devam, He is self-revealing, He is shining. Idiyam, if at all we have to adore anybody, it is only that to divine. There is nobody else worthy of being adored, worshipped, praised, etc. And whoever through spiritual practice, Nichaya Imam realizes Him as such. As such means what? He is the Ishana, He is the Varada, He is the Deva, He is the Idiyam. What does He get? Atyantam Shantim Etihai. He will finally enjoy eternal, infinite bliss. Remember, a word bliss means peace, bliss means Ananda, bliss means Punnatva, fulfillment. And what is the nature of Him? Yonim Yonim Adityashtate. Every object that we see is nothing but a Divine Lord. Yoni means every body, every mind. So Adityashtate, He is only manifestation. So we think, I am one person, you are one person, etc. No, it is only one. Same Narayana is manifesting as I, as you, as me, as a living, as non-living. So whatever is seen, whatever is heard, Etkinchit Shroyate, Etkinchit Drishyate, Tat Sarvam Vishvam Narayana. We have seen in the Narayana Suktam. So He is one only. And all the beings come out from Him. Sam Eti and Vi Eti. Everything comes from Him. Sam Eti and everything goes back to Him. Because there is a law, whatever is the cause, the effect must go back to it. If you break an ornament, old ornament, it will lose its name as ornament but remains as gold. If you break a piece of furniture, it will become a piece of wood. If you break a pot, it will be a lump of clay, etc. So what is the important thing? Realize that God from whom you are coming and in whom you are living and unto whom you are returning back. And this is what the Lord also tells in the Gita, what is called Maya Deekshena. Prakruti Shroyate Sacharacharam. So with the help of my Prakruti, my Maya, I am manifesting everywhere. And Shri Ramakrishna is giving that to our body and mind. Why are they given to us? So that we can obtain liberation. So the process starts from the inorganic to the organic, then microbes, then insects, then birds, plants, birds, animals, human beings, gradual manifestation, that's called evolution. And that is all nothing but Prakruti. Prakruti is nothing but Maya. This is what Shri Ramakrishna has to say. Maya is the liberating power of Vidya Maya. It is Maya which reveals Brahma. We don't need any other statement. Really speaking, Maya alone can reveal Brahma. So forget about that word Maya, which is destructive, deluding, all those things. We have to revise our meanings, go back, forget what we have learned, become first unlearned, then learn anew. It is Maya which reveals Brahma. Without Maya, who could have known Brahma? Who is telling? Shri Ramakrishna is telling. Without knowing Shakti, the power of God, there is no means of knowing Him. It is only due to Maya that the attainment of supreme knowledge and final beatitude becomes possible for all of us. Otherwise, who could even dream of all this? From Maya alone spring duality and relativity. Beyond Maya, there is neither the enjoyer nor the object of enjoyment. This was what the earlier mantra is referring. Without Maya, nobody can realize God. Lest if anybody is there who did not understand this teaching, I am rephrasing it in this way. So the desire comes for God or for me. I am a Jeeva and I realize I am a Jeeva. I realize I am helpless. So a desire comes to become all-knowing, all-liberating, infinite. And what are these things? Ideas in the mind, thoughts in the mind. And the mind is the manifestation of Prakruti or Maya. Then that Maya promises. This desire is very good. It becomes strong, in fact, by the grace of Maya. And then we soon find out all by ourselves. We cannot attain it. So we take refuge in some wise person called Sadguru and take refuge in Him. Out of compassion, He shows us the right path by giving a mantra, by giving instructions, by telling us what to do and what not to do. He is the living Shastra and slowly we move forward. And in the end, we only realize. That is why Holy Mother used to say, My children, take refuge in Mahamaya. Unless she opens the gates of Mukti, no one can enter into that kingdom. And that is what Krishna says, TESHA MAHAM SAMUDDHARTHA BRUTTYU SAMSARA SAGARAT BHAVAMI NACHARAT PARTHA MAYYA AVESHITA CHETASAM Those who are completely dedicated to Me, what do I do? I become their saviour, Samuddhartha. From where? BRUTTYU SAMSARA SAGARAT So I become Mrityunjaya. I will rescue them. I will be the boatsman who will take them across. When? Nacharat. As soon as they take refuge in Me, I will do that. But for whom? MAYYA AVESHITA CHETASAM Only those people who have completely dedicated their TANU, MANA, DHANA, everything to Me. So the whole universe comes out from Him and again goes back to Him. This is beautifully explained in the third chapter of the TAITIRIYOKAN SHRADDHA KALBHRIG VALLE YATOVA HIMANI BHUTANI JAYANTE ENA BHUTANI JAYANTE YAT PRAYANTI ABHISHAM VISHANTITHI VENDE JEEVA That means you, me, all these aspiring seekers come to realize the supreme controller, the bestower of the boons and the only one worthy of praise and we slowly take refuge in Him and ultimately we attain the ultimate emancipation, eternal supreme peace. And this is what Bhagavad Gita calls in the ninth chapter PARASHANTIHI and Shankaracharya comments here. This peace is attained with the help of knowledge, is like the peace we experience after a sound dreamless sleep. An analogy, what type of peace? When we wake up, SUKHAM AHAM ASVAPSAM NAKINCHIT AVEDISHAM So we have to pray to Him. Even the desire for God realization can come only from God and that is being pointed out here. And as I was telling, the whole fourth chapter is an elaboration of the Gayathri Mantra. So in the end, what does the Gayathri Mantra say? That O Lord, You grant me that BUDDHI, we meditate, we surrender upon You. So You take over this personality, this machine and You be the mechanic, let me be the just machine. So that is what is said. SANO BUDDHYA SHUBHAYA SANYUNATTHU SAHA TATISHVARA SHUBHAYA BUDDHYA With right understanding, NAHA, all of us, SANYUNATTHU SANYUNATTHU literally means join us with good buddhi. Really what it means is, let Him grant me. DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYA And the same idea in the 11th Mantra in a more or less repeated way. YO DEVANAM PRABHAVASCHA UDDHAVASCHA VISHVADIBHAH RUDRAH MAHARSHI HIRANYAKARBHAM PASHYATA JAYAMANAM SA NAHA BUDDHYA SHUBHAYA SANYUNATTHU I told you the fourth, that is the fourth part of the second line because it is a prayer. O Lord, if you do not give me right understanding, then I cannot be happy either in the secular life much less in spiritual life. But what type of... who can give us that buddhi? Only God can give us. And who is this God? YO DEVANAM He who, DEVANAM, of even God's, PRABHAVASCHA UDDHAVASCHA He is the originator and He is also the maintainer. But it is not that like a potter, as I mentioned many times, creating many pots. No, He Himself is manifesting like any actor in each drama, each cinema. He puts on different dress, takes a different name and more or less the story will be more or less same. Fight between the good and the evil and finally love triumphs. That is the story. And that is the story of me, you, everybody else. So He who is the originator, who is the maintainer of even Deva's, ISHVADIVAHA And He is the supreme ruler of this entire universe. RUDRAHA Rudra means the literal etymological meaning of the word Rudra. RODAYATITI RUDRAHA He who makes us weep. What does it mean? So if somebody does something evil, He will make through karma phala, through dukkha, through suffering, He will make such people weep. If somebody prays to Him, takes refuge in Him, He will make them weep. But He will bestow His grace and say, You are me, I am you. There is no difference. And this can happen only by His grace. That is why Rudra doesn't associate with Puranic Shiva. Rudra means here the divine Lord. See, He who is the originator of the entire Jagat. And He is called Maharshi. Usually we know Maharshi means a great sage. But as I said, every Sanskrit word has an etymological meaning. What is Rishi? RISHATI JANATI ITI RISHIH He who has divine knowledge, He is called a Rishi. And He who has got Maha Gnanam, the ultimate Gnanam, the supreme knowledge, He is called Maharshi. That is why He who has got that supreme knowledge, usually we call Him Rishi or sometimes Maharshi. Like Brahmana Maharshi, we call Him. In Sri Ramakrishna was a Maharshi. Swami Vekananda was a Maharshi. Holy Mother was a Maharshi. Swami Brahmanandaji was a Maharshi. Swami Shivanandaji was a Maharshi. Because they realized God. And who is He? Further explanation. Hiranyagarbham Jayamanam Pashyata So what does He do? He Himself is manifesting in the form of Hiranyagarbha, who is the first creation. And from Him, the whole thing has come. In a Puranic way, Narayana has given birth to Brahma. That's why He came out from the navel of Vishnu. It is what is called pictorial view for our understanding, like Amarachitra Gatha. But that is not real. There is a person, he has got a body, he has got a navel, and what is called coming out of that navel, tearing that navel, a lotus has come. And on that lotus, this Brahma had come out. That is a very crude way of understanding it. And that means He who gave birth to Saguna Brahma, He who is manifesting as Saguna Brahma, from whom this whole universe has come, consisting of living, non-living, consisting of all of us, as well as what is called Adi Daivata. In earlier talks, I said, God divides Himself into three, Adhyatma, Adhibhautika, and Adhidaivika. He who is manifesting as these three, that Adhidaivika is called Hiranyagarbha. Earlier, Devanam, Prabhavasya, Udbhavasya. But such a person, we have to pray. Pray for what? Saha, such a Divine Lord, Shubhaya Buddhya Naha Sanyunaktu Diyo Yonaha Prachodayat. May He endow us with Shubha Buddhi. What is Shubha Buddhi? That which tells us that the goal of life is Mukti. Mukti means realizing God, God is the creator of the whole universe, and that is what we have to understand. This is what we have seen in the 10th chapter. Why should I go on elaborating? What is the need of even knowing this extensively, O Arjuna? I remain sustaining this entire creation in a special way as a part of my own Self. Same idea is repeated in the 13th. यो देवानां अधिपो इस्मिन्लोकाः अधिष्रिताः य ईशे अस्य विपदः चतुष्पदः कस्मै देवायः हविषाविधेमाः He who is the sovereign of the Gods, because He is the creator and maintainer and sustainer and dissoluter of the Gods. In whom the whole world, every world finds their support. How many worlds? According to Vedanta or Hinduism, 14 worlds are there or they have also condensed that idea of 14 into 3. भूहु भूवः सुवः So He who is the Lord of the Gods, in whom the worlds find their support, He is the पोषक. That's why He is called पोषं. Surya is called the पोषं. How? गामा विष्य च भूतानि धरयाम्य हमोचेषा उष्णामि च उषदी सर्वाः सुमो भूत्वार सात्नु As the Sun, I create, I give life to every plant etc. And as the Moon, I nourish them so that all the Jeevas can have their food and it is the energy from the Sun that is coming, everything. So this is how I do. And then He sustains every creature, living, non-living. यहा ईशे He who not only creates but maintains, sustains. कुम अस्यत् विपदः चतुष्पदः विपदः means feet, वि means two. All those who have two, even birds have got only two feet, human beings have got two feet. But there are like cows, buffaloes and so many goats and what is called, so many other animals, they are called four-feeted ones. So चतुष्पदः, He is ruling, He is sustaining, they come from Him and they live in Him, they live by Him, they live through Him and they finally also evolve and as human beings, finally that बुद्धी will come, that we are coming from God, like the chicks of the Huma bird, we also move forward. This is the idea. So who should be adored, who should be worshipped? That is beautifully put, कस्मै देवाय हविषाविधेमा, to whom shall we offer our oblation? Which God? Is there a seat? कस्मै, to whom? It is a question mark, not a question mark because there is a secret word is there, a small twist is there. कस्मै means to whom, that is one meaning. Another meaning is क means अनन्द, कह, कम, कम. So this Deva who is the very embodiment of bliss and we can get bliss only when we go to the source of bliss and the Deva, the creator is such a one. So whom else we worship? Brahman, what is the nature of Brahman? सत्, चित, अनन्द, स्वरूप. That अनन्द, स्वरूप and चित, स्वरूप and सत्, स्वरूप are outlined here as कस्मै देवाय हविषाविधेमा. हविषा means oblation, ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्मःविहि, that हवि is called हविषा, through which offering can we adore Him, express our gratitude and pray to Him, O Lord, I am offering this one so that ultimately let me offer myself into You and this is called आत्मै एग्ना and let me become one with You, let me remain inseparable from You, accepting this goal, every other goal is not worthy. That's why Shri Ramakrishna says, God-realization is the only goal of life. So He from whom the whole universe is coming out, He who is sustaining everybody and He who is the only goal, there are no other goals, only goal of every creature, sooner or later to and what is His nature, He is the sustainer of the whole universe and He is the bestower of the highest bliss. Let us offer our adoration to Him. In fact, the second Hymn that is created by Swami Vivekananda, ओम्रीम्रितम्तोमचलो गुणजित् गुणईद्यः, that word इद्यः is a most marvelous word, earlier we have come here itself. इद्यः means adorable, why? Because He is the embodiment of every quality that we are thinking, simple example I will give you. When a baby is hungry, what is the quality he is expecting from the mother? Food. When a person is thirsty, what is he expecting from the mother? Drink. When a person is tired, what does he expect from God, from mother, from anybody? Only rest. So if somebody has got a desire for a, let us say, beautiful house, to whom he should go? He can go to God and say, you created me, you give me a good house, give me a good spouse, give me good food, give me healthy body, healthy mind, everything is included at the beginning. This is our understanding, but later on we understand the whole body and mind are given for dharma sadhana. That is why it is said, शरीरमाद्यम् खलु धर्मसाधनम् This 13th mantra is telling, He who is the creator and sustainer of all the Devas, in whom everything, every world, 14 worlds are completely dependent and being sustained by Him, and He who is providing everything to humans, non-humans, to the two-legged, to the four-legged, to everybody, etc. and He is the giver of the highest bliss, and to whom shall we pray? Upon whom shall we meditate? Accepting that divine Lord, that means let us think of Him only. This is what Ramakrishna used to say, God-realization is the only goal of life. He did not say one of the goals of life. He said this is the only goal of life. All other goals are temporary goals leading to this final goal. God-realization can happen only by His grace. So if we pray to Him, His grace will come. Then He will endow us with good buddhi and everything becomes favourable. That is what Shankaracharya beautifully expresses, दुर्लवं त्रयमेवैतत् देवानुग्रहेतुकम् मनुष्यत्वं अमुख्षित्वं महापुरिष्तम्षय May such a divine Lord bless us all with that buddhi, understanding.