Aitareya Upanishad Lecture 03 on 12 August 2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

I have been studying the Shanti Patha. Actually, this Shanti Patha is one of the greatest aids for our Sadhaka's life. It tells us what we should do. In brief, I will rephrase these things so that we can understand. Let my mind, let my speech be united. That means what I think, what I speak, and what I do. Let there be no division between them. This division is called madness in psychological terms. This division is what is called ignorance. Truth is, as Sri Ramakrishna says to us, "man mok ak kora," make the thought, the speech, and the action one. So that by hearing us, people will know this is what this person is really thinking. By seeing our actions, people will really know. This is the nature of this person. Why? Because he is of the nature of truth. He will not think differently. He will not speak differently. He will not do something different. This is the meaning of "let the speech be united with the mind. Let the mind be united with the speech."

But the greatest thing is, every day billions of Hindus will be praying to the Mother of Knowledge, the Goddess of Wisdom. What do they say? "Bhur Bhuvah Swaha Tat Savitaru Varenyam Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dheeyo Yonah Prachodayat." Let the Divine Mother give me the right understanding. What is the right understanding? That I am Amruta Putra. Each soul is potentially divine. "Aavehi Aavehi Maa Aethi." Let that light again and again be revealed to me. I cannot see the light. Sri Ramakrishna says, a sergeant will have a torchlight. He can see everything, everybody. But nobody can see his face. If we want to see his face, then we will have to pray to him. Please turn. We cannot turn the light. Only he can turn the light upon himself. So, O Lord, O Brahman, "Aavehi Aavehi Maa Aethi." "Aavehi" means Prakasha. You are self-luminous. "Swayam Prakasha Atma Maa Aethi." "Aethi" means reveal yourself to me.

Sri Ramakrishna used to pray, "O Mother, I do not want any worldly objects. I don't want money, kama, kanchana, etc. I only want you. I cannot live without you. Please reveal yourself."

"O Mother, if you do not reveal yourself to me, then I will not be able to see you." Not only that, he often quotes Narada's prayer to Bhagavan Krishna.

First, Narada was asked, "Ask a boon of me," Bhagavan says. And Narada says, "O Lord, give me motiveless bhakti. I do not want anything except you. What is motiveless? Through you, I don't want you."

When we are praying to God, we ask for this and that. We are using God as a servant, as a slave. "Provide me this thing," we say, not paying enough wages. Even for an ordinary servant, if we do not pay, he will leave us. But we take it for granted, like a baby takes its mother for granted and commands, "I want this." For a baby, it is absolutely right, because the baby has 150% faith that their mother will give them whatever they want, even if they don't want it. She will protect them, and they need not think about the future because she will take care of it. That is the kind of faith we require.

So, Narada said, "Ahai tu ki bhakti." God was even more pleased. "I am so pleased. I want to grant you another boon," Bhagavan says.

Narada says, "Lord, I do not need it. But if you are pleased to give me a boon, please ensure that your world-bewitching maya should never overpower me. That means I will always be free from maya and know all the time that I am the Atman. Aham Brahmasmi. That is the meaning of "Aavir Aavirma Edhi." Vedasya Ma Anistaha."

That is what we are going to talk about now. What is this "Anistaha"? Even in ordinary life, God is Prakashaswaroopa. That is why the Guru is called Prakashaswaroopa. Who is a Guru? A Guru is one who destroys the Andhakara, the darkness of ignorance. Agnana Timirandhasya, Gnana Anjana Shalakaya. Chakshu Kunmilitam Yena. Tasmai Sri Urave Namaha.

That is why, in this prayer, it is said that without God's grace, nobody can know Him, nobody can experience Him. It is impossible. A great sadhaka prays in the Isavasya Upanishad. I think in the 16th mantra. Hiranyena Patrena Sathyasya Apehitam Mukham. Tattvam Poshan Apavrunu. Sathya Dharmaya Drishtaye. This mantra is very paradoxical. What is your nature? He says, "You are shining like gold. Your face is shining like gold, and that very shining is covering your real nature. I see you as Jyotishwaroopa, but I want to see you as Jyotira Jyoti, not just Jyoti. I can see Jyoti everywhere. Hiranyena Patrena Sathyasya Apehitam Mukham. So this is the prayer. Agnana Andhakaara Avidya Aavarna Apanayena Prakati Bhava. You don't need to reveal yourself to me. The moment by your grace, the curtain called avidya is removed, because you are svayam prakasha. You don't need another light for me to see you. But between you and me, there is a big curtain called avidya. I am praying to you, surrendering myself to you. Please remove that one.

So now he is addressing both the vak and manas. Mano me vachi pratishtitam. Vag me mano pratishtitam. Let the speech be united with the thought. Let the thought be united with the speech. Now he is addressing. "O speech, O mind, please be gracious to me." There is a beautiful saying in Bengali. A man has obtained three graces, but for the lack of the grace of one, he goes to ruin. What are the three graces? That he got the grace of Guru. He gets the grace of God. He gets the grace of a first-class human body endowed with a marvelous mind that can understand. Everything is favorable. But what is the obstruction? It is the mind. Without the grace of the mind, it is not possible to move anywhere. Why? Because we have given it a long rope. We let it roam wherever it wanted. The more it roamed, the happier we were. And now, suddenly, we want to control it, and it resists with all its power. The struggle is not with God. The struggle is only with our mind. That is what he is telling. "O mind, O speech, be gracious to me." So, O Vagmana say, Vedasya me anistaha. O speech, O mind. What is my prayer? Vedasya. That means Veda Gnana. What is Veda Gnana? Each soul is potentially divine. The goal of life is to manifest this divinity within. Infinite paths are there. So, not only all the four yogas, but also Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, and in the future, however many isms come into being, provided a person is very sincere, every pathway is absolutely useful.

What is this "anistaha"? What does it mean? It means, "Please ensure that I understand and grasp the real meaning of Vedic wisdom." This is possible only by your grace. If the body is gracious, the mind is gracious, and speech is gracious, then satyam will become firmly established. Because what I think, what I speak, and what I do will become absolutely reconcilable. There will be no dichotomy between them.

The prayer is also for both the mind and speech. "Shrutam me ma prahasih." Shrutam. Whatever I have heard from the mouth of my Guru, from the books, Vedas, Upanishads, etc., and from the mouth of Sri Ramakrishna, have we heard from the mouth of Sri Ramakrishna? When anybody studies the New Testament, they are directly hearing Jesus. When Buddha's teachings are being read, they are hearing directly from the Buddha's mouth. When you are singing, "Kahata Kabira suno bhai sadho," you are hearing directly from Kabir Dasa, from Tulsi Dasa, from Mirabai. "Mere to Giridhara Gopala dosarona koi." There is nobody else for me. Not only for me, but Mirabai is speaking on behalf of all of us. None of us has anybody else except God. Because without God, even I cannot exist, you cannot exist, we cannot exist, and nothing can exist. That is the truth. But to put it in an ethical way, what is the way? The Guru comes and says, "Tat tvam asi. You are Brahman." And the disciple, through shravana, manana, nididhyasana, says, "Aham brahmasmi." We hear it, but let it not leave our minds. Let us never forget it. As Ramakrishna says, "Never speak an untruth." Yes, we have read it hundreds of times, but do we remember it? No, that is the problem. How do we know that we remember?

Remembering means more than just acknowledging what I've heard. It's not merely saying, "Yes, yes, Ramakrishna told me that." True remembrance is not just about the recall; it's about putting those teachings into practice. If I do not follow his teachings, I will be the greatest loser. I will not progress in spiritual life. Instead, I will become more entrenched in this worldly life. Mere recollection is insufficient.

So what I have heard should not simply disappear. I need to keep in mind what I've read and understood. And what I understand should remain etched in my memory. "Shrutam me gopaya," which means, "May what I've heard remain protected." This is why it's said, "Tejasvi nao adhita mastu." It means that I know what is right, and I know it's the truth. But I must remember it at the time of my actions. "Matsakashat brahmi na nirgacchatu." This means that it should never depart from my thoughts. In other words, I should never forget it. For example, Ramakrishna taught me not to speak an untruth. I remember that, but it's not enough to merely remember it. Real remembrance is not just about recalling. It's about putting those teachings into practice.

Similarly, when we are instructed to remember God always, it's not enough to say, "Yes, I remember God always." It's about living in accordance with that remembrance. If we say we remember God but then act as we please, that is not true remembrance at all.

"Anena adhitena aho ratran sandadhami" is often confusingly translated as, "May I join night and day with whatever I have mastered." What it really means is, "May I spend my days and nights in contemplation of what I have learned." This is called manana. Once manana is over, only then can nididhyasana be undertaken, which involves putting those teachings into practice.

"Ritam vadishyami" signifies that we should speak only the truth, particularly the highest truth as taught by our Guru, the Vedas, and other sacred texts. Let's not limit the meaning of Vedas to just the four Vedas or Upanishads to just those portions found in the four Vedas. Instead, consider any sincere spiritual aspirant who realizes something and expresses their realization. When a saint speaks, it is not merely the saint speaking but God Himself. Thus, speaking the truth encompasses sharing spiritual insights, guiding others toward happiness, health, knowledge, and ultimately moksha (liberation).

This is what the Mundaka Upanishad emphasizes: "Anya vācām īmāṁcchatha" – Give up all vain talk, talk only about Atman, about Brahman. Don't engage in discussions about aparavidya or worldly matters. Sri Ramakrishna repeatedly warns us, "Don't waste your time." Why should I not waste time? Because, my son, you have wasted millions of your births discussing worldly things as non-humans. What were you doing? Thinking only about survival. As humans, what were you doing? Running after more and more pleasures. At least now, you are fortunate to be awakened. So, it is a tremendous tapasya, a great spiritual discipline.

That is why Shankaracharya says, "Yogasya prathamam dvaram vāgnirodaha," keeping silence. But keeping silence doesn't just mean not speaking; it means not indulging in thoughts that are not about God. "I will not talk, but I will think whatever I like" – that's not enough. We must think only about God, speak only about God, and do whatever pleases the Lord. This is what is called "Anyo vāca vimuñchak," and "Pritam vadisya me." I will speak only the truth – "Satyam vadisya me." What is the truth? We have already discussed it: "Anudvega karam vakyam, Satyam priyam hitam." Four conditions must be met for words to be considered truthful. So, I will talk only about Brahman or the teachings of Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, Swami Vivekananda, etc.

Many obstacles may arise, and I may not even know what will happen next. That's why I say, "Tan mam avatu" – may Brahman protect me. Let the self-luminous Brahman protect me by enlightening me and making me understand that human life is precious. Let Him protect me so that my mind doesn't even wander toward worldly objects. Unless God protects, nobody else can. If we can be spiritual at all, it is only by the grace of God.

So, "Let Brahman protect me." But it's not just that. "Vaktaram avatu" – may Brahman protect the teacher as well. The teacher may or may not know the complete truth. I thought the teacher might know, or he might not. Still, let Brahman reveal the truth to my teacher, as he is going to teach me. Only by the grace of God can anyone realize the truth.

Now, I will share an illustrative story. There was a king who desired to understand the Bhagavatam. He heard about a Bhagavata pandit and summoned him, requesting him to teach. The Bhagavata pandit was eager to share his knowledge. He would teach the Bhagavatam daily and ask the king if he understood it. The king consistently replied, "You must understand it first, and then you can teach me." The pandit grew perplexed. After many days, he prayed to God wholeheartedly, and that night, divine grace descended upon him. He understood that God alone is real, and everything else is unreal. He realized that God realization is the sole purpose of life. That very night, he sent a message to the king, thanking him and stating that he would not give up his quest until he realized God.

This story demonstrates what we are discussing here. "Artha prakasha roopena mam avatu" – May the divine Lord make me understand that God realization alone is the goal of life and nothing else. But now, we pray, "Avatu vaktaram" – May Brahman protect the teacher as well. The teacher may or may not know the complete truth, but let Brahman reveal Himself to my teacher, who will guide me. Only by the grace of God can we realize the truth.

When he knows the truth, he will be capable of teaching me the highest truth. So, let Brahman protect my teacher, my guru, by granting him complete understanding and the right understanding (Pritam and Satyam). Furthermore, not only may he understand, but he may not have the capacity to express it in suitable words that I can understand. Therefore, the second gift of grace from Brahman is not only to let him know what he is going to talk about but also to give him the ability to express it so that the student can understand it without any ambiguity. Each disciple is entirely different from other disciples or other students; the teacher must come down to the level of every student. There is nothing called a common student; that is called Gurukula. The teacher should gradually lift the student from a lower state to a higher state. This is the second protection by Brahman. The first protection is to provide the correct understanding and correct knowledge. The second protection is the ability to express it clearly so that the student can comprehend it.

But that's not all. The third protection, as Sri Ramakrishna used to call it, is "Adhikari-did God authorize?" Once there was a person who was a very famous teacher, and everyone praised him. He came to Sri Ramakrishna, and during their conversation, Sri Ramakrishna asked, "Have you received authorization from God?" The person seemed puzzled and said he hadn't received any authorization. Someone else tried to confirm that he did, but the person insisted he hadn't. He said, "Only those on whom God puts His seal can go and teach." He gave this authorization to Vedavyasa, Valmiki, Swami Vivekananda, and many others.

Here's an interesting incident: Swami Vivekananda had two disciples, Swami Varahiananda and Swami Prakashananda. Swamiji wanted Sri Ramakrishna's teachings to be spread in East Bengal, so he commanded them to go and preach. However, they hesitated, explaining that they had not received authorization. They had knowledge and could express themselves beautifully, but they felt they lacked the authority. Swamiji brought them to the shrine, made them prostrate before Sri Ramakrishna, and blessed them, authorizing them to go and preach in East Bengal. This is how authorization from a higher source is essential for spiritual teachers.

This is the third grace of Brahman – to authorize the teacher, or Vaktaram. The teacher needs protection first by receiving the correct understanding, second by gaining the ability to express it properly, and third by obtaining authorization. Without authorization, the teachings may merely pass from the notebooks of the professors to the notebooks of the students, without passing through the brains of either.

So, "Bodhakatva Samardhya Adhikara Pradhanena" is what we discussed. Thakur (Sri Ramakrishna) used to ask many times, "Did you hear properly?" And he'd say, "Yes." Then he'd ask, "Repeat to me what I said." Quite a few times, because M. (Mahendranath Gupta) did not record so many things, whatever he recorded is still lying unsubscribed. M. wrote shorthand notes. Even two or three books are still preserved in his house. He used to remember by God's grace. Whenever he opened a page, events from the old days would come flooding into his mind. But for others, it remains a blank book. Even if we see, we see only headlines, and we don't understand anything else. Sometimes, even M. did not understand, and Sri Ramakrishna corrected him by saying, "Did I say that? No, I did not say that; I said this." This is called "Avataram Avataram."

What we are discussing here is the prayer, "May my speech be fixed in my mind. May my mind be fixed in my speech." O self-luminous Brahman, please manifest unto me. O mind and speech, bring to me the real meaning of the Vedas. May what I study from the Vedas through the mouth of the Guru never leave me. I shall strive day and night, not only Shravana but Manana.

"I shall unite day and night" means that day and night I will labor to study what I have heard. This is called Mananam, so that I can transform my whole life. I shall think only what is right, and I shall speak what is right. May Brahman protect me, may Brahman protect the teacher, may Brahman protect me, and may Brahman protect the teacher. Without the grace of God, the Guru will not be available, and, more importantly, the Sishya (student) is also not available.

With this Shanti Mantra, it is over, as I mentioned. Without obtaining all these qualities that we have discussed in this particular Shanti Mantra, which is specific to the Rig Veda (Rig Veda means this Aitareya), and there is another Upanishad called Kaushitaki. For every Veda, there is a Shanti Patha. Let all the obstructions be destroyed by the grace of God. Let there be perfect harmony between the teacher and the taught, and let the teacher have the qualities of right understanding, right expression, and authority. Let me have the qualifications of purity. This is what is called, "Let me be a real Adhikari." What are those? With this Shanti Patha, it is over.

If we really think about it, it contains a Godload of meaning, and we even have to practice it so much. Now we are going to enter into the first chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad. In this, marvelous facts are being told. The first mantra itself states, "In the beginning." This is the first mantra. "In the beginning" means before creation has started, before creation, all this. That means, what was there? Creation was not there. Then what should be there? Only Bhagwan is there, Brahman is there. Instead of using the word "Brahman" here, the word used is "Atman." Only Atman was there. All this verily was Atman only. "All this" means the visible universe that we are talking about. Remember, all these Upanishads, Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmanas, and Aranyas, and all these teachings, they all came far, far later. But all this, where was it? It was there in the form of Atman only. That is the meaning. We will go deep into it. There was only Atman, and was there anything else besides Him? No one even to say. "One" is not permitted in Advaita Vedanta because the moment you hear "one," you also remember second, third, any number. But for the convenience of understanding, the word "one" is used here.

Ekameva idamagra agre asit. And without a second. Na anyat. There was nothing else. That "winked" means what? That which was living. And Shankaracharya adds, that which is not winking also. That means chara and achara, jada and jiva, jagat. That is the living and the non-living, the moving and the non-moving. Nothing was there. Who was there? Atmava. That one word would have been sufficient. Atma alone was there. But then why is the Upanishad describing that there is no other? Because we are seeing two important points. We don't see the Atman; we see only the world. Therefore, what is the first fact the Upanishad wants to convey to us? There are two truths. What is the truth? The first truth, of course, is yat, manifest. This entire universe in the form of sthoola, sookshma, karana, sharira, jagrat, swapna, sushupta avasthas. This is our everyday experienceable universe. That is the fact. And is God there? We don't see God. We don't see; we see only the snake. We don't see the rope. Therefore, without the rope, there cannot be any snake at all. So the scripture is telling, "Yes, there is a second one." What is that second one? What is the second? First one, this world that we experience. What is the second one? Atman, whom we are experiencing every billy second, and yet it is invisible. It is manifest, but we do not cognize it. It is uncognizable. When I am talking, because of the chaitanya, when you are listening, because of the chaitanya. But if you are asked, you don't say, "Because of the chaitanya, I am able to think, hear, understand." You simply say, "I am listening, I am talking," etc. But we should never forget, without that pure consciousness, nothing can be experienced. Just like if there is no light, nothing can be visible at all. There is no light; light doesn't mean only the physical light. Light means gnana, that which gives knowledge, is called light. If I touch something, I get gnana; that is called touch light. When I smell something, "Oh, there is a fragrant rose." That is called grana pramana. When I taste something, even with closed eyes, that is called rasana indriya working. That is called the rasana chaitanya. Chaitanya to cognize, "This is a fragrance, this is a taste, this is a touch." This is called vision, this is called sound, to cognize them. First goes consciousness, then only everything else. Usually, we don't take notice of it. This Upanishad at the very beginning is telling there are two facts. This not only this world, but that chaitanyam is there, and that, because of that chaitanyam alone, we are able to see, to experience everything.

Okay, then what is the relationship? Are they two, are they one? To answer that, this first mantra itself is telling, there is nothing else excepting Atman. Even when we are experiencing the world, what we are experiencing is nothing but pramana. And many times, we have repeated this one, but any number of repetitions are worth doing. When we are looking at a piece of furniture...

"When we are looking at the wood, when we are looking at a pot, what are we really looking at? Only clay. There is nothing called a separate object called a pot; a pot is nothing but clay with nama rupa (name and form) and guna (special purpose). When we are looking at an ornament, it is nothing but gold, and that ornament has a different form, a different name. So that necklace should be around the neck, the bangle should be around the wrist, the ring should be around the finger, for different purposes. So except for Brahman, nothing is there. That is why Brahman has been defined as 'sat' (existence), first, 'chit' (pure consciousness), then, 'ananda' (unbroken bliss). Bliss is the word, not 'sukha' (happiness) or 'duḥkha' (suffering). To point out the fact: first, for an ignorant person, you are seeing this world, fine. But don't forget, along with the world, you are able to experience, see, and do everything because of that pure consciousness. So, pure consciousness plus the world, so how many are there? Two are there. Oh, two are there, so it is 'dvaita,' right? No, no, no. Pure consciousness alone appearing with nama rupa, that is the world. That is why to make us remind of this fact, 'Brahma satya,' Brahman alone is real, 'jagat mithya.' Mithya means what? Not unreal. Mithya means perceiving that Brahman with nama rupa, forgetting that we are perceiving none other than Brahman. That perception without cognizing that there is Brahman, that is called mithya. So, the jagat is not mithya; my understanding of the jagat is mithya. I hope you are getting the important points. Mithyatva is not outside; it is within my mind. Ajnana is not outside; this world is covered with a veil; no, it is like I cover my eye with my little finger, and the whole world becomes dark. So you should not say somebody put a huge veil around the entire universe. Let us say the sun and the sun disappeared; no, no, no. Nobody can cover the sun. Just imagine realistically; somebody puts any material you want covering the sun, try to cover the fire; see what happens with any material, and millions of degrees of centigrade; it will simply burn away. It is so huge. What does it mean? It means that covering is in me, not in the sun. Similarly, that ajnana is not outside; it is inside me. The moment I get rid of my ajnana, that is why I am praying, 'what I have studied, let me think and realize.' What realization? 'Aham brahmasmi, sarvam khalvidam brahma,' nothing else.

So, in this first mantra, what is it? Idam ekaha eva agre asit. Only Atman was there. Na anyat kinchanah. Mishat means winking. The literal meaning of the word 'mishat' means winking, who can wink? Only a living creature. But Shankaracharya beautifully explains that which is not winking, what is that? That which is, what we call 'jada' (non-living). Why should we add 'jada'? Because what do we experience in this world? Living and non-living. Therefore, if we say whatever is living is coming from Brahman, then where from the non-living is coming? It must also come from Brahman only. So, for that purpose, the Upanishad is not telling. It is only telling the living creature. Everything that is living was not there at that time. Then, what does it mean? It means really speaking, that is the state because the whole universe is a manifestation of Brahman. Therefore, I am in this universe; therefore, I am also Brahman. But I am only hearing it from the Upanishad; I don't understand it. Really speaking, for this purpose, I have to study the scriptures.

The reason we ask why is it if Brahman is in front of me, God is in front of me, I am not able to see it? The answer is because there is a mind. The mind is coming in between my understanding and Brahman. In what form does it come? Ajnana. Ajnana means what? Limitation. Limitation in what way? Two different models are given. One is desha, kala, nimitta (space, time, and causation) and the second model that is given there. So, svagata veda is not there; vigata veda also; vijatiya veda is not there; sajatiya veda is not there; svagata veda is also not there. Nothing was different. Remember, when we are getting the description of the Atman, the person who is describing is describing with the aid of the mind, and he is describing to a person who has got even much less enlightened mind. Therefore, to explain this one, that nothing is there. This is the second implication. What is the first implication? First, only Atman is there. Why?"

"Because what is our experience? Only the world is there. By this mantra, not only the world is there; Atman alone is there. Oh, but I don't see the Atman. Yes, you don't see the Atman, but if you don't see something, it doesn't mean it is non-existent. That is the idea.

What is the second fact? First of all, there are two. If there are two, naturally discrimination comes. What is important? Which is first, Atman is first, or the world is first? To answer that, first of all, Atman alone was there in the beginning. That means it is the first. This is the second fact.

What is the third fact? The third fact is that this whole universe was not existing. This whole universe, which is a combination of time, space, and causation, was not there. That is what he wants to say. But then I see it. If you are seeing something, it must have come from somebody. Then where from could it come? Only Sat can come, only from Sat existence can come, only from existence knowledge can come, only from knowledge bliss can come, only from bliss. Therefore, this world is nothing but Atman. This whole world is nothing but Atman. That Atman only is manifesting in the form of nama-rupas. This is the third fact. If we understand these three factors.

What is the first factor? We see only, we experience only this world. No, there is something else; that is the first factor. What is the second factor? Which is more important, Atman or pure consciousness or existence or the world? First, there should be clay, then only there will be a pot. Have you ever seen a pot without clay? Have you ever seen an ornament without gold? Have you ever seen a piece of furniture without wood? So, what is the first one? The first one is Atman only, pure consciousness only. But the most important point is the third one.

What is the third one? If in the beginning, there is no nama, there is no rupa, there is no guna, then what is there? Atman is there. What is the name of the Atman? Sat-chit-ananda swaroop. It is alone, and what is its nature? Pure consciousness. If Atman is pure consciousness and not anything else, whatever can be the effect of that pure consciousness, can it be non-consciousness? Can clay ever produce a golden pot? Only gold can produce a golden pot; clay can only produce a clay pot. This is the most important point that if human beings are there, they can only produce human beings; dogs can produce only dogs; insects can produce only insects; trees can produce only trees; birds can produce only birds. Still, this must be stamped again and again to make us understand.

If Atman is pure consciousness, and this whole universe has come from Atman, but what could be the nature of this universe? Only pure consciousness. If everything is pure consciousness, is there anything called jada? Anything called non-living? It is impossible. That is the fact the first mantra wants to tell us.

Then the second part of this mantra is telling, "Sa ekshata." Shankara changes this word "ekshata." "Ekshata" means visualized. That Atman thought, why should he think? We don't know; don't ask me. Nobody has ever answered why he wanted to think, why he wants to create this mess. Only probably he also doesn't know, so there must be some devil possessing God so you create this world so that all of us can suffer anyway; I am making fun.

"Sa ekshata, sa ekshata." That Atman, he thought, visualized. What did he say? "Lokannu sruja eti," let me create the worlds, the world. Let me create the universe. Now, here again and again, I have been emphasizing for so many days; this "sruja" means not parinama vada. God has become the world. God is manifesting as the world. What is the difference? The milk has become curds. Invariably, milk is lost; now it is only appearing in the form of the curds. And in this process, the first point is milk is lost. The second point is that the curds may have some extra elements which were not there in the milk. For example, milk is sweet, but curds is not sweet. It will be a little bit of sourness. It is there, and it will go on increasing with the passage of time, etc.

What is the point of srishti? The whole first chapter is to describe how srishti came. What is the first point? God only became the universe. What is the purpose of this saying this one from this Aitareya Rishi? He is also telling this universe is nothing but God because if God is Atman is pure consciousness, this world cannot be anything else other than pure consciousness. What is our experience? That we do not know where we have come from. If we are asked, what do we say? I came from my parents; you ask them, say we came from our parents; nobody knows. Upanishad alone tells us everything has come only from that Atman, and that Atman is chaitanya roopa. Therefore, everything else is nothing but chaitanya. This is the essence of this Aitareya. Not only this Upanishad, every other Upanishad itself we will discuss this further in our next class tomorrow.