Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 36 on 02 July 2023: Difference between revisions

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(Created page with "== Full Transcript (Not Corrected) == We have been studying in the last class the 12th mantra of the 5th chapter of the Shwetashvatara Upanishad. This is a beautiful Upanishad and especially in this 5th chapter, the fact that each one of us are responsible for our own fate, what we call karma phala, prarabdha in this life. No one else is responsible. In fact, to put it even better, we are Brahmas. Each one of us are creating our own world and it has no similarity to the...")
 
m (→‎Full Transcript (Not Corrected): changed manachalo to mana chalo ,,nijo niketane . Separated janne ki hey din)
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== Full Transcript (Not Corrected) ==
== Full Transcript (Not Corrected) ==
We have been studying in the last class the 12th mantra of the 5th chapter of the Shwetashvatara Upanishad. This is a beautiful Upanishad and especially in this 5th chapter, the fact that each one of us are responsible for our own fate, what we call karma phala, prarabdha in this life. No one else is responsible. In fact, to put it even better, we are Brahmas. Each one of us are creating our own world and it has no similarity to the other person's world. The most astonishing fact of this statement is, every creature, that is, every creature who thinks I am the doer, so naturally this doesn't apply to animals, insects, children, madcaps, etc. Anybody who thinks I am the doer is subjected to the result of one's own actions. But the astonishing fact is each one of us are Brahmas. We create our own world. We maintain our own world. We destroy our own world. So that is the first fact. The second fact is each one of us are living in our own peculiar individual world and we don't know what the other person's world is. Once somebody had written a very beautiful book. In fact, it is not a writing. It is full of photographs. What does it show? It shows that a child is sitting in a room at the feet of his dad and his mother and father are sitting there. So the child, his view of father, mother and the entire world is completely incomprehensible to father and mother. The world of the wife is incomprehensible to the husband. The world of the husband is incomprehensible to the world of the wife. So each one of us are living in our own peculiar world. Can we understand it better through any analogy? Yes, dream. Even if a thousand people of us are living in the same room, go to bed and we have our own dreams, there is no resemblance. Every one of us are living in our own created world. So the fact that exactly the same thing happens in the waking world we have to infer from the example of the dream. So that is what this twelfth mantra is symbolizing. This is what he says, the Rishi, Shweta Shvatara Rishi, sthulani, sukshmani, bahuni chaiva, rupani, dehi, swagunaihi, vrunoti, kriyagunaihi, atmagunaihi, chatesham. These three, one and a half lines, point out the nature of each one of us. We create, sthulani. If I am fat, if I am gross, my own creation. If I am subtle, my own creation. Means both my body and mind and everybody's bodies and minds are each person's creations. Bahuni chaiva, I may be a mosquito, I may be an amoeba, I may be an Indra, I may be a Brahma in Brahmaloka. How does it happen? Rupani, these are all different forms for exhausting our own karma phala. And that's why we are called dehi. Here dehi means one who identifies totally with the Deha. So how does he manifest in these forms? In fact, the word used by the Upanishad here, vrunoti, chooses. He doesn't want. A billion, billion choices are there. He rejects all of them. He only opts for this particular one. What makes him do it? His own purva janma karma, vasanas. And that is being said, kriya gunaihi. Whatever actions a person does and every action is done, not only physically but also attitudinal wise through what? One's own gunas. Gunaihi. What guna? Sattva, rajas and tamas. Plus, atma guna is said. Here atma means body. Somebody's body is a baby's body. Somebody is a youth. Somebody is a middle-aged. Somebody is old. Somebody is diseased. And then somebody is a drunk. Somebody is a drug addict. So all these things play a very important part in what a person does. So we are responsible for our own gunas. We are bound by our own past karmas. And what creates the past karmas? Previous past karma. So it is endless. That's why it is said samsara is anadi. But is there any way out? Here two important questions pop up. The first question is we do the actions and that action is over. We even forget what we have done. Most of the time we do not remember what we have done. Perhaps we have uttered abusive words towards somebody. We don't remember. Or we might have uttered very praising words. That also we don't remember. Sometimes we remember a little bit of it. Most of it we don't remember. Then what karmas I have done in my past life? I don't remember anything. None of us remember anything. Then how come those actions bear fruit exactly according to what we have done? What we get, the results will be completely 100% proportionate to what we have done. That is where the question comes that I do not have the capacity. Then who is having? Ishwara is called aparaha. Aparaha means somebody else other than the jivatma. Drishtaha. Definitely we have to conclude, infer if we are thinking rationally. And what is his job? He is the cause. He is called vidhata. He is the person who brings the particular jiva in contact with the particular prarabdha karma. That is what is being said. This is the first question. Because karma cannot bring, we forget what we have done. So there must be a third factor, a third conscious being who is observing whatever we have been doing. And who knows what we have been doing, what we have done and even what we are going to do. And gives appropriate body-mind complex. That is the first answer. Then what is the second question? Perhaps I have done. Maybe because of ignorance. Is there any way out? What is the answer? Yes, definitely there is a way out. So then do I have any free will? Yes, you have a free will. But the free will has to be used not freely but in accordance with the scripture. These are the three points with some quotations. I want to discuss before we close this. After all, only another two more are there, two more mantras. It is the essence of the next mantra is exactly the same. The last mantra, 14th mantra tells us, like Bhagavan Krishna tells us at the end of the Gita, Sarva Dharmaan Parityajya, take complete surrender, refuse in me. You cannot get out of this samsara. That is what he wants to tell. Bhavagrahya. We will deal with that when it comes. Now these three questions. So who brings us in, who joins our karmas with our karma phala, with the jiva? Second, if I have done something wrong, is there any way out after I realize it? And if there is a way out, what are the conditions? Second question. Third question would be that finally we have to surrender ourselves to God. If we want to get out of this endless samsara saga, let us start with it. So first of all, I want to quote, I have come across beautiful quotations from Garuda Purana. By the way, Garuda Purana is one of the beautiful Puranas. You know, we have got 36 Puranas, 18 called Mukhya Puranas, 18 are called Upa Puranas. This Garuda Purana is a very important Purana. What does it say? Happiness or misery, fear or welfare are definitely the results of one's own actions. And then it goes on. There is a fetus. It lies in the womb with the feet up and the face downwards, being forced out during the birth process. What is the point? It is a fetus, completely innocent, but it doesn't know it is carrying a mountain load of Karmaphala behind it. And then Garuda Purana enters into this most expletive expression, If a person has done exceedingly great Punya, then what happens? He will be born in a house like Bhagwan Krishna says, So it is only the result of great Punya. A person is born in a very fortunate family, he will be only swimming in joy. But the person who has done exceedingly evil actions, Whatever he has done, And then the Garuda Purana continues, Oh Garuda, I am telling you, somebody is born Dharidra, means most unfortunate fellow. Always undergoing suffering, added to that, he has become an idiot. He doesn't have the power to discriminate, even to know that he is responsible. Only his mind is always running after evil actions. And therefore he will be enjoying. Bhajanam means he who is enjoying. Of what? Dukkha. Dukkha means suffering. So what else should I tell you? Oh Garuda, this is the essence of what is done. So one becomes poor, sweet, foolish, sinful and miserable by one's own actions. And then Swami Vekananda, the greatest rationalist as it were, what does he say? In his, especially the fourth line, the fourth shloka in his Song of the Sannyasin, Who sows must reap, they say, and cause must bring the sure effect. Good, good, bad, bad, and none escape the law. But whoso wears a form must wear the chain. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form is Atman, ever free. Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Sat Om. What is Swami Vekananda telling? Rarely we sit and then contemplate what Swami Vekananda is telling. What is he telling? It is true. In everybody's case, Karma phala applies. Punya brings enjoyable results. Papa brings suffering. Inevitable, true, true. It is very true. Whoever has got a body, his body comes only for the sake of really exhausting one's own Prarabdha Karma. But he says, this is all true. But don't stop here. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form, far beyond any Karma, far beyond any Karma phala, is the Atman, ever free, never bound. And then, how do I know that I will be free from Samsara? Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Tat Sat Om. And this is the essence, or this is what Swami Vekananda is summarizing, the 14th mantra of this 5th chapter. Now the question, or maybe he was the Rishi, who knows? Because, let us not forget, Swami Vekananda was one of the Sapta Rishis. So, he himself might have written Shweta Shvatara, or Mandukya, or Isha Vashya, or Brihadaranyika. We don't know. But he is a Rishi. Rishi means he knows the truth. And he is telling us the truth. So the question comes. Now, what is the question? What was the first question? That who brings about? It is all Ishwara. He is Sarvagna. He is witnessing all our actions. He brings each Jeeva into contact with her own Karma phala. But the only addenda we have to add at the end is, every human being will not get any Karma phala. Only those people who have got Ahamkara. I am the doer. Like the Brahmin of that garden. I quoted yesterday, or day before yesterday, in one of the classes. So only such a person, because he feels I am the doer, I must get this Karma phala. And such a person alone. As I said, a child, a mad person, or animals, they have Ahamkara. But they don't have that deliberative Ahamkara. I am planning to do it. I will scheme and do it. That kind of Ahamkara. If they have, they will get Karma phala. That is why animals, non-humans are free from Karma phala. Among humans, children and mad people are free from Karma phala. Now the question comes. The second question, is there any way out? Yes, Holy Mother says here, that if a person had to experience, a ploughshare has to enter into his body and then split it into two. But by God's grace, one can get away with a pinprick. Even Holy Mother is telling, because she is the Ishwara. What is she telling? That Karma phala cannot go without being experienced. But the quantum of Karma phala can be brought down drastically by surrendering ourselves to the Divine. That is absolutely true. Now, it is very easy. So many people asked me the question. So, can we do that? No, it can be done. But there are certain conditions attached to it. What are the conditions? The first condition is, we must accept. I have done this. I was ignorant. I was foolish. I take all responsibility. That is the first thing. Second, is there any way out? Yes. If you don't accept God, you will have to go through it yourself. But if you turn towards God and say, Lord, I have done this. I am responsible. But out of your infinite mercy, please forgive me. Now the condition comes. God will forgive and He will make you pleasantly overcome that situation. What is the condition? From now onwards, I will never repeat it. That should be the condition. You forgive me, but next time I will again go and do it. God is not going to forgive me. And that is what is being said, He who brings every Jeeva into this condition, that is, Sanyoga means union. Union means joining Purojanma Karma Phala with the present Jeevatma's body and mind. In fact, the result of Purojanma Karma is in this life's Prarabdha Karma, already before birth itself it started. Now the second question is, if we surrender ourselves to God, He can forgive us. And what is the authority? Upanishad is the authority. But Bhagavad Gita sums it up very beautifully in two shlokas. It says here, 9th chapter, 30th, अपिचेत सुद्राचारो भजते मां नन्यभाः साधुरेव समंतव्यह सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा Even if a person is the worst of the sinners, sinner among all the other sinners, but he who takes refuge in Me, turning towards Me, he takes refuge in Me, he should be considered as a spiritual person, as a divine person, because सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा That person has turned towards Me, that is the right thing he has done, and he has decided. What did he decide? Two things he decided. From now onwards, I will never again repeat it. And second thing is, I will always be dependent upon God. Means what? Means I will do exactly what God expects me to do and I will never do what God had forbidden me. Where did He forbid you? Where did He enjoin you? Every scripture is God's word. And so, Krishna Bhagawan, He continues, Such a person who takes refuge in God, which means he had changed over, transformation for the better. He turns, as we say in English language, a new turn over a new leaf. What happened? क्षिप्रम् भवति धर्मात्मा Very soon, He will not only be given up, positively He becomes a Dharmatma. And what is the result? शिष्वत् चान्तिम् निगच्छति Retains eternal peace. And then He says, कौंतेया These are not empty words nor only spoken to you. कौंतेया हे अर्जुना प्रति जानिः Go and declare it openly to the whole world. नमे भक्तः प्रणश्यति My devotee can never ever perish. And the Ramakrishna is a beautiful conversation. Is there a free will? So we are dealing with the third question that has come. What was the first question? That who brings about the union of our karma phala with ourselves? Ishwara Second question, is there any way out? Holy Mother says, turn towards God. Never repeat what you have done. And क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा What is the third one? Do we have really a free will? It looks as though we have. Ramakrishna's invaluable expressions. Invaluable because hardly we take any notice. So there was a devotee called Vaidyanath. Ramakrishna is telling. All that you see is the manifestation of God's power. No one can do anything without this power. But what Ramakrishna is telling is even an evil person's doing, the power belongs to God only. The person because of past samskara or ahankara, he misuses God's power, not giving him the credit for it. But you must remember, Ramakrishna continues, there is not an equal manifestation of God's power in everybody. Everything has its own special manifestation. So Vidyasagar once asked me whether God endowed some with greater power than others. I said to him, if there are no greater and lesser manifestations of His power, then why have we taken the trouble to visit you? Have you grown two horns? So it stands to reason that God exists in all beings as the all-pervasive power, but the manifestations of His power are different in different beings. Sir, Vaidyanath asks, I have a doubt. People speak of free will. They say that man can do either good or evil according to his own free will. Is it true? Are we really free to do whatever we like? And this is where Ramakrishna's Upanishadic warning comes out. Master, everything depends on the will of God. The world is His play. He has created all these different things, great and small, strong and weak, good and bad, virtuous and vicious. This is all His maya, His sport. And that is what exactly we have seen. Eko Jalavani Va I think in the very second mantra of this very fifth chapter, a lord is like a fisherman. He throws the net of maya. Net here stands for maya. But it is not maya to torture us. It is His sport, leela. You must have observed that all the trees in a garden are not of the same kind. Beautifully, Sir Ramakrishna gives similes for every teaching for easier grasp. But here is something invaluable teaching of Sir Ramakrishna. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. What does it mean? It means he may think he is free, but really he is not free. It is God Himself. Second sentence. It is God Himself who keeps this error in man. This is an error. Then what is the right thing? That God alone is free. He alone has the freedom. But it is His free will. He is moving me as He wants to move. So who is responsible? God. How does He do it? Through His maya. This error in man. Otherwise, sin would have multiplied. That means what is Ramakrishna telling? If somebody does sin, like that Brahmin, and then goes on telling it is God who has done it, through His Adishta, through Devata called Indra, then sin would have multiplied. Man would not have been afraid of sin. And there would have been no punishment had there been no punishment for it. But do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels I am the machine and thou, O Lord, are the operator. I move as thou movest me. I speak as thou makest me speak. Then if everything happens by God's will, where does free will come in? What is the need for punya and papa, heaven and hell? This was the question put to Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna answers that as long as we believe we have free will, we have to own up the consequences of actions done by us with our free will. So only those who think I have a free will, karma phala will come to that person. But it is indeed true that at the higher level of comprehension, that means one who has become a Gnani, a person who attains this conviction firmly that everything is God's will, is the one who has attained God-realization. In other words, only a Jeevan Mukta can say everything is God's will. And what are we saying? Everything is my will. We want to do sinful actions, but we don't want to reap the results of the sinful actions. But we definitely want to reap the results of our punya karma. That we don't want to give up. Only the results of our apa karma we would like to give up. So Sri Ramakrishna says that whatever that person Jeevan Mukta does, is simply the act of God and it will only be perfect and right and it will bring welfare to everybody. And then this is beautifully illustrated by a marvelous parable by Sri Ramakrishna. The virtuous weaver. Not only in the Mahabharata, the virtuous Dharmaviyatha, but Sri Ramakrishna, a virtuous weaver. I do not need to remind you, but very briefly, there was a weaver. He was a very virtuous man. He would never do anything wrong, but once some robbers caught him, made him carry the looted goods. When the police came, they knew how to run away. But this man, he was caught, brought in front of the magistrate and he said what had happened. And he said that by Rama's will, I am free. By Rama's will only, he never said those wicked people had made me do carry that robbed money, looted money. He said it is Rama's will. Even those robbers were only robbers. By Rama's will. And the magistrate must have been a good person. We have to remember. There are people who say law is law. We don't understand all these things. You have been caught red-handed. You will be given punishment. Supposing in this case, Sri Ramakrishna's illustration, the magistrate understood and said let him go free. And then when he came out, he said my becoming free is also Rama's will. And people's respect for him increased enormously. He had no regrets. He had nobody to blame. We have to meditate upon this parable. Supposing an officer, a magistrate, who says I don't know all those things. You have been caught and you will have to be put in jail. All right, we are going to put you for two years in jail. What would have been the reaction of the weaver? That is also Rama's will. And what do you think he will be doing in the jail? That is where the fun comes. What is it? Previously, he had to do back-breaking work to earn his livelihood. But now, Her Majesty's or His Majesty's government will provide him with lodging, boarding and everything. So he would have more time to think about his Rama. That is why Ramakrishna says that along with the idea of free will, the concepts of Punya and Papa too shall coexist. So we have raised three questions and answered three questions. I hope you will remember. First question, Ishwara brings us into union with our own Prarabdha Karma. Second, there is a way out. The condition is we should never repeat. We should turn towards God. Surrender ourselves to God. Of course, in one day it will not come. But Kshipram Bhavate Dharmatma. He will never again do anything bad. On the contrary, he will do what is absolutely good. What is the third thing? He realizes man has no free will. Everything is done by him only. And that means the Aham Bhavana is completely removed from him. What Bhavana is there? I am a machine in the hands of God accepting that Bhavana. No other Bhavana is there. And then what would be the consequence? Whatever this person undergoes, even if he has to have throat cancer or any type of somebody is cutting his throat, from his word only comes, only one thing that will come. It is Rama's will. Ramakrishna also quotes the incident from a warrior who was also a great Rama Bhakta. One day his own Mohammedan soldier stabbed him because he did not like a Hindu king. And the person was dying. And his colleagues rushed and then they asked, tell us who killed you, stabbed you. We will give appropriate punishment. And he laughed and said, it was Rama who killed me. It was Rama. This would be the attitude until the body is dropped. That is the attitude of every Jeevan Mukta. With this, we will now enter into the next, last but one, 13th mantra. So the question that comes now is, how to turn towards God? Is there a God? How to turn towards God? That question we raised earlier, is being elaborately answered in this 13th mantra. What is it telling? Anadi Anantam. There is one. Call Him Ishwara. Call Him God. Call Him Brahman. Call Him Father in Heaven. Call Him Allah. Call Him by whatever name. It doesn't matter. God is only one and there cannot be two Gods. And what are these characteristics? Anadi Anantam. He is beginningless and He is endless. Whatever is beginningless must be only endless. What does it mean? It means He is eternal. Eternal being cannot have a beginning or an end. And then what happens? In this Samsara, He who created this Ghana Samsara, difficult Samsara, Vishwasya Srashtaram, He is the creator. Srishti Sthithi Vinashanam, Srikthi Bhute Sanatane, Gunashtriye Gunamayi, Narayani Namostuti. Vishwasya. Isha Vasyam Itahum Sarvam. He is the creator. In fact, He Himself is manifesting just as we manifest in the form of the entire dream world. From God's point of view, this is called dream world. Not real. What is dream world? There is no real world. Only seeming world. That is called Mithya world. So this entire what we call waking state is also a Mithya world only. What does He say? Vishwasya Srashtaram. The creator of the entire this universe. What universe? How vast is this universe? How many billions of galaxies? We cannot even imagine one galaxy. Billions and billions of galaxies are there. Some astronomers are also positing a fact. Perhaps there are not many universes, but there is a mirror. And in the mirror, just imagine, suppose you have a lot of mirrors, like previously in barbershops, it used to be full of mirrors. And then when you look at it, endless you in endless rooms, endless barbers, endless heads, you will be seeing. And if you go on seeing, really there is no end. So some people are positing the idea perhaps it is having a mirror effect, reflection effect. Whatever be the truth, this cosmos cannot be even imagined. But He is the creator. That means what? He is the manifester. And what is this world? Aneka roopam, infinite number of forms, roopas, infinite number of names, so that we can distinguish one from the other. Same also, infinite number of qualities, one petaled, two petaled, three, four, multiple, one thousand petaled, lotus, etc., etc., infinite number of forms, infinite number of gunas, roopa, nama, guna. And then the fact that is He different from this world? No. Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is enveloped. If you recollect, whether it is Narayana Suktam or Purusha Suktam, the idea is what? The whole universe. And in this, any head you see, that is God, Vishnu. Any hand, God's hand. Any ear, God's ears. Any legs, only an infinitesimal part of the, an infinitesimal part. That was the idea. In the previous verse we have seen, eleventh verse, that is valagra. Vala means hair. Split it into hundred. And that hundredth part, again you split it into another hundred. That means a billionth, billionth part of that hair. That is how a Jeeva looks. But, Angushta Matraha, Ravi Prabhavan, He is glowing like the midday sun, even though we are thinking He is small, because of the body. What is the parimana of Jeeva? In a mosquito's, in an amoeba's body, only very soon. But, that doesn't apply to your consciousness, Jeevatma. Jeevatma is infinite. So that is being said, Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is only manifesting, like clay pervading, every single part. In fact, there is no part, it is only Nama. It is only a misnomer, a name, name and form, and quality. But really speaking, other than clay, there is nothing else. And, we have to, by knowing Gnatva, Evam Gnatva, that word, Ekam is there, not Evam is not there. We have to supply. Evam Gnatva, knowing the Lord, knowing what, that, I do not exist, you do not exist, the world doesn't exist, then what about everything? Everything is God. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagatam. Evam, Evam Gnatva, one who realizes, not intellectual knowledge, but actually, Sarvapapaihi Mutsyate, then alone, he understands, Aham Brahmasmi, and for such a person, just as a person, thinking that he was bound by a thousand ropes, in his dream, as soon as somebody wakes him up, immediately he realizes, he was not in bondage, he was never in bondage, he will never be in bondage, that was just his daydream or night dream. I am that pure conscious being, Evam Mutsyate, immediately, as soon as he wakes up, to this knowledge, that I am Brahman, Mutsyate Sarvapashaihi, knowing the Lord, in the midst of the chaos, a beautiful word is used, Kalila, this is not the first time, we have also come in the earlier chapter, also the word Kalila, Kalila also is the name, when a fetus, even before the fetus is born, that is also in a very indistinguishable form, Kalila means very confusing, this is what we call a virile pool, very difficult to come out of it, but the Samsara is compared to a Kalila, Virile pool, Viram Krishna's favorite illustration will be Vishalakshir, Virile pool, that is, once a cart enters into it, nobody, no cart can come out, because it is so deep, a deep hole is there, and he will not be able to come out, but is there any way? Yes, knowing the Lord, in the midst of this chaos, that means Samsara is nothing, but it is only God, knowing that Samsara doesn't exist, that is why Mithya Jagat, Brahma Satyam, God alone is real, Jagat Mithya, this world doesn't exist, doesn't mean that it is not there, it means what we see and label it as the world, is none other than Brahman only, and so what about me? So, Jeevaha Brahma Eva Na Aparaha, Jeeva is none other than Brahman, but you have to extend, this world also is none other than Brahman, but not in this form, with Nama Rupa Guna, it is not Brahman, it is a manifestation of Brahman, with knowledge, it is only Brahman, because Brahman is Ekaha, Brahman is Nityaha, Brahman is Anantaha, Brahman is Anadi, this is what we have to understand, so the compassionate Lord alone, who unites the individual to the results of his actions, is also the cause for his liberation, it is he who bestows his grace, and how does his grace come? In two forms, God's grace inevitably comes to us in two forms, what is the first form? It comes in the form of the teachings of our Guru, God's grace immediately brings Guru, and who is a Guru? God's grace, in the form that we can contact, we can relate, we can serve, we can ask questions, and what does he speak? Nothing but pure scripture, that is God's knowledge, this is the first point, what is the second form of God's grace? It slowly transforms us, inspires us, it destroys all the obstacles, as we have seen in the life of Totapuri Maharaj, even though he was not realizing, he thought that I am doing sadhana, I am progressing, but the Divine Mother made him understand, that the desire for sadhana, first of all, the very human body, very hefty, healthy, strong, Punjabi human body, and then a mind endowed with sattva guna, a mind which has developed a yearning for God realization, and the obtainment of a great brahmajnani as a Guru, and rigorous training under the Guru for several years, until a person can meditate completely naked, even in the freezing cold, or in what is called torturous heat, either way, and what about the inner problems, kama, krodha, loba, moha, madha, matsarya, and one who has been completely saved, not even one hint, whether this person looks very beautiful, I would like to live with this person, no kama, no krodha, most important problem is kama only, whether it is for food, whether it is for beauty, whether it is for wealth, or for sense enjoyment, all are kama, and that kama, it will be thousand fold increasing, by the grace of God, not thousand fold, billion fold it will increase, but first of all, not many desires, only one desire, secondly, what is the desire? I want to go to my mother's house, manachalo nijani ketani, I realize I am wandering in a foreigner's dress, in a foreign country, and I want to go to my manachalo nijani ketani, otherwise, jabe kehe din, shall all my days, O Lord, go in vain, I have already spent, no more, that's why Ramakrishna used to cry, O Mother, another day has passed, and I have not seen, so, that is how, through God's grace, human birth, God's grace, desire for liberation, and favorable environment, and by God's grace, complete removal of kama, krodha, etc., and at the end, giving the self-satisfaction, I have achieved everything, that is also Mother's will, a child must run here and there, then only it will feel, I have done a lot of job, work, hard work, I deserve mukti, then, that alone, all this comes as a result of God's grace. Then Sri Ramakrishna touched the hearts of people on 1st January 1886, and uttered those greatest blessings, chaitanya hok, may your spiritual consciousness be awake, and God consciousness be awake, what an infallible result of that touch, people had visions, people had bhavas, people had lot of different experiences, because a pure soul, with the greatest love, and pure motive, touched them in the most pure way, thinking that I am not touching, but my Divine Mother is touching, and that would be the journey's end. Just as in the outside world, the individual initially finds only chaos and confusion within, not in the beginning, in the beginning, the most marvellous place, I want to see what is happening, and enjoy it, then only he finds, it is only nothing but confusion and chaos, Kalila, then he turns, then the inward journey starts, it is more difficult, and obstacle written, but he goes on, and by God's grace, he meets the Lord, the creator of all, whom he then recognises, as this entire world, in everybody, as Kumara, Kumari, Puman, Stri, Vriddhaha, as everybody, and then he knows, I am also God, I am the Self, I am worthless, I am deathless, and then forever he is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and then that is what is being said in the final mantra of this fifth chapter, Those people, those who know this Deva, this Divine Lord, what happens? They give up this body, what does it mean? Not that they die, not that they kill, give up means what? Give up the agnanis view, that I am the body, I am the mind, that is all, body is there, body is not there, mind is there, mind is not there, is not a problem, problem is only I am the body, I am the mind, what type of Lord? Shivam, he is auspicious, what type of Lord? Bhava, Abhava, Karam, he can create, he can also dissolve, he can make manifest, he can also make unmanifest, Bhava, Abhava, he can bring something into being, and he can also take back into non-being, non-being means don't think, non-existence, non-being means unmanifest, and then Kala, Sarga, Karam, he had endowed this person with Shodasha Kalas, I will come to that, we dealt actually with it in the Krishna Upanishad, Bhava, Grahya, that means he understands only one thing, this Jeevatma loves me, he doesn't want anything else, and then Anidakhyam, he is beyond the Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira, and Karan Sharira, so those who know this God, who can be realized only through devotion, who is a divide of a body, who creates and destroys the world, who is pure, who projects the 16 parts, that those persons, knowing the Divine Lord, they attain Mukti, knowing the Divine Lord, how? By feeling, I am not the body, and I am not the mind, that is what he says. This is what Swami Vivekananda wants to tell us, by giving, any sincere spiritual person's prayer will be like the Prahlada's prayer taken from the Vishnu Purana, या प्रीतिर विवेकानाम् विषयेशु अनपायिने त्वाम् अनुस्मरतः सामे हृदयान् मापसर्पतु that deathless love, which the ignorant have, are the fleeting objects of the senses. As I keep meditating on you, may I not, may not that love slip away from my heart. That means, may I always be loving and devoted towards you. There is nothing else. And then, Sri Ramakrishna goes into ecstasy, like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He says, that only God's grace, he says, only, O God, pray, give me knowledge, give me devotion, and reveal yourself to me. And Sri Ramakrishna said, repeat his name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts. And then he says, a poet has compared devotion to a tiger. Just like the tiger devours animals, devotion alone can swallow up all the archenemies of man, like kama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha, matsarya. And a devotee asks, we have passions, and why should God create passions? He says, the impulse of lust should be turned into the desire to have intercourse with Atman, etc., etc. Then Sri Ramakrishna says, that single-pointed devotion and faith is the only key to God realization. Love, devotion, and faith in God is the only way. There is no other way. Then Krishna Upanishad says, this Kalasarga Karam has nothing to do with hearts. There are five, what are the sixteen aspects? What are those? Shodasya Kalapurna. Five elements, bhutas, faith, shraddha, prana, indriyas, mind, strength, food, penance, mantra, realms of experience, and go back to the Krishna Upanishad, sixth, last question, fourth mantra. So, having given up all identity with the body, such a person, what does he do? He completely becomes a realized soul, he becomes a Mukta Purusha. This is the most marvelous chapter having fourteen mantras. What are the effects of these? Fourteen mantras are there. So, first it starts with that Brahman is beyond anybody's imagination. But both vidya and avidya are there. And avidya prepares us for vidya and vidya releases us. ksharam tu avidya amrutam tu vidya vidya vidya ishate estu so anyaha In the immutable, infinite supreme Brahman remain hidden the two, knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance leads to worldliness and knowledge to immortality. Brahman controls both knowledge and ignorance because both help a person evolve towards God. That is the idea. Don't think that God will ever damn us. In the second is telling God is everything. God is everybody. Everybody is God. God is everything. yo yonim yonim adi tishtati ekaha He is the non-dual Brahman who rules over everybody. And then He is the Jalavan. He is the Ishwara sarva-bhutana prideshaya arjuna tishtati brahman sarva-bhutani entrarudhani mayaya He is running this show called the Samsara. He is the script writer. He is the director. He is the producer. He is the actors and actresses. He is the stage of the drama. He is the audience. He is the critic. He is everything other than Him. Nobody is there. And that is reinforced in the fourth mantra sarva-disha, udvam, adasya, teriya He is there above, below, left, right, inside, outside. But He is only manifesting as the Jeeva. This Jeeva appears to be very small because of the body and mind. Angushta matra, but ravitulya roopaha He is really no less than that bright sun. And then in the thirteenth we have seen that anadhyanantam kalilasyamathye vishvasya srashtaram aneka roopam vishvasya ekam parivesthitaram nathva demam uchyate arvapashayi He who knows the Lord, who is without beginning or end, who stands in the midst of the chaos of this Samsara, who is the creator of all things and endowed with many forms, He who knows that radiant divine being, the sole pervader of the universe, is forever released from all his fears. And then in the last 14th mantra, He is called bhavagrahim anidakhyam bhavabhavakaram shivam kalasargakaram devam evaduhu te juhuhu tanum. Those who know Him, who can be realized by the pure heart, who is called incorporeal, who is the cause of creation and destruction, who is all good and the creator of the 16 parts, those who realize the luminous Lord are freed forever from Samsara. With this, we completed the 5th chapter, 14th mantras. From next week, we enter into the 6th and last chapter of the Shweta Shwetara Upanishad. Om Jananem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padu Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamaame Muhur Mahuhu May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.
We have been studying in the last class the 12th mantra of the 5th chapter of the Shwetashvatara Upanishad. This is a beautiful Upanishad and especially in this 5th chapter, the fact that each one of us are responsible for our own fate, what we call karma phala, prarabdha in this life. No one else is responsible. In fact, to put it even better, we are Brahmas. Each one of us are creating our own world and it has no similarity to the other person's world. The most astonishing fact of this statement is, every creature, that is, every creature who thinks I am the doer, so naturally this doesn't apply to animals, insects, children, madcaps, etc. Anybody who thinks I am the doer is subjected to the result of one's own actions. But the astonishing fact is each one of us are Brahmas. We create our own world. We maintain our own world. We destroy our own world. So that is the first fact. The second fact is each one of us are living in our own peculiar individual world and we don't know what the other person's world is. Once somebody had written a very beautiful book. In fact, it is not a writing. It is full of photographs. What does it show? It shows that a child is sitting in a room at the feet of his dad and his mother and father are sitting there. So the child, his view of father, mother and the entire world is completely incomprehensible to father and mother. The world of the wife is incomprehensible to the husband. The world of the husband is incomprehensible to the world of the wife. So each one of us are living in our own peculiar world. Can we understand it better through any analogy? Yes, dream. Even if a thousand people of us are living in the same room, go to bed and we have our own dreams, there is no resemblance. Every one of us are living in our own created world. So the fact that exactly the same thing happens in the waking world we have to infer from the example of the dream. So that is what this twelfth mantra is symbolizing. This is what he says, the Rishi, Shweta Shvatara Rishi, sthulani, sukshmani, bahuni chaiva, rupani, dehi, swagunaihi, vrunoti, kriyagunaihi, atmagunaihi, chatesham. These three, one and a half lines, point out the nature of each one of us. We create, sthulani. If I am fat, if I am gross, my own creation. If I am subtle, my own creation. Means both my body and mind and everybody's bodies and minds are each person's creations. Bahuni chaiva, I may be a mosquito, I may be an amoeba, I may be an Indra, I may be a Brahma in Brahmaloka. How does it happen? Rupani, these are all different forms for exhausting our own karma phala. And that's why we are called dehi. Here dehi means one who identifies totally with the Deha. So how does he manifest in these forms? In fact, the word used by the Upanishad here, vrunoti, chooses. He doesn't want. A billion, billion choices are there. He rejects all of them. He only opts for this particular one. What makes him do it? His own purva janma karma, vasanas. And that is being said, kriya gunaihi. Whatever actions a person does and every action is done, not only physically but also attitudinal wise through what? One's own gunas. Gunaihi. What guna? Sattva, rajas and tamas. Plus, atma guna is said. Here atma means body. Somebody's body is a baby's body. Somebody is a youth. Somebody is a middle-aged. Somebody is old. Somebody is diseased. And then somebody is a drunk. Somebody is a drug addict. So all these things play a very important part in what a person does. So we are responsible for our own gunas. We are bound by our own past karmas. And what creates the past karmas? Previous past karma. So it is endless. That's why it is said samsara is anadi. But is there any way out? Here two important questions pop up. The first question is we do the actions and that action is over. We even forget what we have done. Most of the time we do not remember what we have done. Perhaps we have uttered abusive words towards somebody. We don't remember. Or we might have uttered very praising words. That also we don't remember. Sometimes we remember a little bit of it. Most of it we don't remember. Then what karmas I have done in my past life? I don't remember anything. None of us remember anything. Then how come those actions bear fruit exactly according to what we have done? What we get, the results will be completely 100% proportionate to what we have done. That is where the question comes that I do not have the capacity. Then who is having? Ishwara is called aparaha. Aparaha means somebody else other than the jivatma. Drishtaha. Definitely we have to conclude, infer if we are thinking rationally. And what is his job? He is the cause. He is called vidhata. He is the person who brings the particular jiva in contact with the particular prarabdha karma. That is what is being said. This is the first question. Because karma cannot bring, we forget what we have done. So there must be a third factor, a third conscious being who is observing whatever we have been doing. And who knows what we have been doing, what we have done and even what we are going to do. And gives appropriate body-mind complex. That is the first answer. Then what is the second question? Perhaps I have done. Maybe because of ignorance. Is there any way out? What is the answer? Yes, definitely there is a way out. So then do I have any free will? Yes, you have a free will. But the free will has to be used not freely but in accordance with the scripture. These are the three points with some quotations. I want to discuss before we close this. After all, only another two more are there, two more mantras. It is the essence of the next mantra is exactly the same. The last mantra, 14th mantra tells us, like Bhagavan Krishna tells us at the end of the Gita, Sarva Dharmaan Parityajya, take complete surrender, refuse in me. You cannot get out of this samsara. That is what he wants to tell. Bhavagrahya. We will deal with that when it comes. Now these three questions. So who brings us in, who joins our karmas with our karma phala, with the jiva? Second, if I have done something wrong, is there any way out after I realize it? And if there is a way out, what are the conditions? Second question. Third question would be that finally we have to surrender ourselves to God. If we want to get out of this endless samsara saga, let us start with it. So first of all, I want to quote, I have come across beautiful quotations from Garuda Purana. By the way, Garuda Purana is one of the beautiful Puranas. You know, we have got 36 Puranas, 18 called Mukhya Puranas, 18 are called Upa Puranas. This Garuda Purana is a very important Purana. What does it say? Happiness or misery, fear or welfare are definitely the results of one's own actions. And then it goes on. There is a fetus. It lies in the womb with the feet up and the face downwards, being forced out during the birth process. What is the point? It is a fetus, completely innocent, but it doesn't know it is carrying a mountain load of Karmaphala behind it. And then Garuda Purana enters into this most expletive expression, If a person has done exceedingly great Punya, then what happens? He will be born in a house like Bhagwan Krishna says, So it is only the result of great Punya. A person is born in a very fortunate family, he will be only swimming in joy. But the person who has done exceedingly evil actions, Whatever he has done, And then the Garuda Purana continues, Oh Garuda, I am telling you, somebody is born Dharidra, means most unfortunate fellow. Always undergoing suffering, added to that, he has become an idiot. He doesn't have the power to discriminate, even to know that he is responsible. Only his mind is always running after evil actions. And therefore he will be enjoying. Bhajanam means he who is enjoying. Of what? Dukkha. Dukkha means suffering. So what else should I tell you? Oh Garuda, this is the essence of what is done. So one becomes poor, sweet, foolish, sinful and miserable by one's own actions. And then Swami Vekananda, the greatest rationalist as it were, what does he say? In his, especially the fourth line, the fourth shloka in his Song of the Sannyasin, Who sows must reap, they say, and cause must bring the sure effect. Good, good, bad, bad, and none escape the law. But whoso wears a form must wear the chain. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form is Atman, ever free. Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Sat Om. What is Swami Vekananda telling? Rarely we sit and then contemplate what Swami Vekananda is telling. What is he telling? It is true. In everybody's case, Karma phala applies. Punya brings enjoyable results. Papa brings suffering. Inevitable, true, true. It is very true. Whoever has got a body, his body comes only for the sake of really exhausting one's own Prarabdha Karma. But he says, this is all true. But don't stop here. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form, far beyond any Karma, far beyond any Karma phala, is the Atman, ever free, never bound. And then, how do I know that I will be free from Samsara? Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Tat Sat Om. And this is the essence, or this is what Swami Vekananda is summarizing, the 14th mantra of this 5th chapter. Now the question, or maybe he was the Rishi, who knows? Because, let us not forget, Swami Vekananda was one of the Sapta Rishis. So, he himself might have written Shweta Shvatara, or Mandukya, or Isha Vashya, or Brihadaranyika. We don't know. But he is a Rishi. Rishi means he knows the truth. And he is telling us the truth. So the question comes. Now, what is the question? What was the first question? That who brings about? It is all Ishwara. He is Sarvagna. He is witnessing all our actions. He brings each Jeeva into contact with her own Karma phala. But the only addenda we have to add at the end is, every human being will not get any Karma phala. Only those people who have got Ahamkara. I am the doer. Like the Brahmin of that garden. I quoted yesterday, or day before yesterday, in one of the classes. So only such a person, because he feels I am the doer, I must get this Karma phala. And such a person alone. As I said, a child, a mad person, or animals, they have Ahamkara. But they don't have that deliberative Ahamkara. I am planning to do it. I will scheme and do it. That kind of Ahamkara. If they have, they will get Karma phala. That is why animals, non-humans are free from Karma phala. Among humans, children and mad people are free from Karma phala. Now the question comes. The second question, is there any way out? Yes, Holy Mother says here, that if a person had to experience, a ploughshare has to enter into his body and then split it into two. But by God's grace, one can get away with a pinprick. Even Holy Mother is telling, because she is the Ishwara. What is she telling? That Karma phala cannot go without being experienced. But the quantum of Karma phala can be brought down drastically by surrendering ourselves to the Divine. That is absolutely true. Now, it is very easy. So many people asked me the question. So, can we do that? No, it can be done. But there are certain conditions attached to it. What are the conditions? The first condition is, we must accept. I have done this. I was ignorant. I was foolish. I take all responsibility. That is the first thing. Second, is there any way out? Yes. If you don't accept God, you will have to go through it yourself. But if you turn towards God and say, Lord, I have done this. I am responsible. But out of your infinite mercy, please forgive me. Now the condition comes. God will forgive and He will make you pleasantly overcome that situation. What is the condition? From now onwards, I will never repeat it. That should be the condition. You forgive me, but next time I will again go and do it. God is not going to forgive me. And that is what is being said, He who brings every Jeeva into this condition, that is, Sanyoga means union. Union means joining Purojanma Karma Phala with the present Jeevatma's body and mind. In fact, the result of Purojanma Karma is in this life's Prarabdha Karma, already before birth itself it started. Now the second question is, if we surrender ourselves to God, He can forgive us. And what is the authority? Upanishad is the authority. But Bhagavad Gita sums it up very beautifully in two shlokas. It says here, 9th chapter, 30th, अपिचेत सुद्राचारो भजते मां नन्यभाः साधुरेव समंतव्यह सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा Even if a person is the worst of the sinners, sinner among all the other sinners, but he who takes refuge in Me, turning towards Me, he takes refuge in Me, he should be considered as a spiritual person, as a divine person, because सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा That person has turned towards Me, that is the right thing he has done, and he has decided. What did he decide? Two things he decided. From now onwards, I will never again repeat it. And second thing is, I will always be dependent upon God. Means what? Means I will do exactly what God expects me to do and I will never do what God had forbidden me. Where did He forbid you? Where did He enjoin you? Every scripture is God's word. And so, Krishna Bhagawan, He continues, Such a person who takes refuge in God, which means he had changed over, transformation for the better. He turns, as we say in English language, a new turn over a new leaf. What happened? क्षिप्रम् भवति धर्मात्मा Very soon, He will not only be given up, positively He becomes a Dharmatma. And what is the result? शिष्वत् चान्तिम् निगच्छति Retains eternal peace. And then He says, कौंतेया These are not empty words nor only spoken to you. कौंतेया हे अर्जुना प्रति जानिः Go and declare it openly to the whole world. नमे भक्तः प्रणश्यति My devotee can never ever perish. And the Ramakrishna is a beautiful conversation. Is there a free will? So we are dealing with the third question that has come. What was the first question? That who brings about the union of our karma phala with ourselves? Ishwara Second question, is there any way out? Holy Mother says, turn towards God. Never repeat what you have done. And क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा What is the third one? Do we have really a free will? It looks as though we have. Ramakrishna's invaluable expressions. Invaluable because hardly we take any notice. So there was a devotee called Vaidyanath. Ramakrishna is telling. All that you see is the manifestation of God's power. No one can do anything without this power. But what Ramakrishna is telling is even an evil person's doing, the power belongs to God only. The person because of past samskara or ahankara, he misuses God's power, not giving him the credit for it. But you must remember, Ramakrishna continues, there is not an equal manifestation of God's power in everybody. Everything has its own special manifestation. So Vidyasagar once asked me whether God endowed some with greater power than others. I said to him, if there are no greater and lesser manifestations of His power, then why have we taken the trouble to visit you? Have you grown two horns? So it stands to reason that God exists in all beings as the all-pervasive power, but the manifestations of His power are different in different beings. Sir, Vaidyanath asks, I have a doubt. People speak of free will. They say that man can do either good or evil according to his own free will. Is it true? Are we really free to do whatever we like? And this is where Ramakrishna's Upanishadic warning comes out. Master, everything depends on the will of God. The world is His play. He has created all these different things, great and small, strong and weak, good and bad, virtuous and vicious. This is all His maya, His sport. And that is what exactly we have seen. Eko Jalavani Va I think in the very second mantra of this very fifth chapter, a lord is like a fisherman. He throws the net of maya. Net here stands for maya. But it is not maya to torture us. It is His sport, leela. You must have observed that all the trees in a garden are not of the same kind. Beautifully, Sir Ramakrishna gives similes for every teaching for easier grasp. But here is something invaluable teaching of Sir Ramakrishna. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. What does it mean? It means he may think he is free, but really he is not free. It is God Himself. Second sentence. It is God Himself who keeps this error in man. This is an error. Then what is the right thing? That God alone is free. He alone has the freedom. But it is His free will. He is moving me as He wants to move. So who is responsible? God. How does He do it? Through His maya. This error in man. Otherwise, sin would have multiplied. That means what is Ramakrishna telling? If somebody does sin, like that Brahmin, and then goes on telling it is God who has done it, through His Adishta, through Devata called Indra, then sin would have multiplied. Man would not have been afraid of sin. And there would have been no punishment had there been no punishment for it. But do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels I am the machine and thou, O Lord, are the operator. I move as thou movest me. I speak as thou makest me speak. Then if everything happens by God's will, where does free will come in? What is the need for punya and papa, heaven and hell? This was the question put to Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna answers that as long as we believe we have free will, we have to own up the consequences of actions done by us with our free will. So only those who think I have a free will, karma phala will come to that person. But it is indeed true that at the higher level of comprehension, that means one who has become a Gnani, a person who attains this conviction firmly that everything is God's will, is the one who has attained God-realization. In other words, only a Jeevan Mukta can say everything is God's will. And what are we saying? Everything is my will. We want to do sinful actions, but we don't want to reap the results of the sinful actions. But we definitely want to reap the results of our punya karma. That we don't want to give up. Only the results of our apa karma we would like to give up. So Sri Ramakrishna says that whatever that person Jeevan Mukta does, is simply the act of God and it will only be perfect and right and it will bring welfare to everybody. And then this is beautifully illustrated by a marvelous parable by Sri Ramakrishna. The virtuous weaver. Not only in the Mahabharata, the virtuous Dharmaviyatha, but Sri Ramakrishna, a virtuous weaver. I do not need to remind you, but very briefly, there was a weaver. He was a very virtuous man. He would never do anything wrong, but once some robbers caught him, made him carry the looted goods. When the police came, they knew how to run away. But this man, he was caught, brought in front of the magistrate and he said what had happened. And he said that by Rama's will, I am free. By Rama's will only, he never said those wicked people had made me do carry that robbed money, looted money. He said it is Rama's will. Even those robbers were only robbers. By Rama's will. And the magistrate must have been a good person. We have to remember. There are people who say law is law. We don't understand all these things. You have been caught red-handed. You will be given punishment. Supposing in this case, Sri Ramakrishna's illustration, the magistrate understood and said let him go free. And then when he came out, he said my becoming free is also Rama's will. And people's respect for him increased enormously. He had no regrets. He had nobody to blame. We have to meditate upon this parable. Supposing an officer, a magistrate, who says I don't know all those things. You have been caught and you will have to be put in jail. All right, we are going to put you for two years in jail. What would have been the reaction of the weaver? That is also Rama's will. And what do you think he will be doing in the jail? That is where the fun comes. What is it? Previously, he had to do back-breaking work to earn his livelihood. But now, Her Majesty's or His Majesty's government will provide him with lodging, boarding and everything. So he would have more time to think about his Rama. That is why Ramakrishna says that along with the idea of free will, the concepts of Punya and Papa too shall coexist. So we have raised three questions and answered three questions. I hope you will remember. First question, Ishwara brings us into union with our own Prarabdha Karma. Second, there is a way out. The condition is we should never repeat. We should turn towards God. Surrender ourselves to God. Of course, in one day it will not come. But Kshipram Bhavate Dharmatma. He will never again do anything bad. On the contrary, he will do what is absolutely good. What is the third thing? He realizes man has no free will. Everything is done by him only. And that means the Aham Bhavana is completely removed from him. What Bhavana is there? I am a machine in the hands of God accepting that Bhavana. No other Bhavana is there. And then what would be the consequence? Whatever this person undergoes, even if he has to have throat cancer or any type of somebody is cutting his throat, from his word only comes, only one thing that will come. It is Rama's will. Ramakrishna also quotes the incident from a warrior who was also a great Rama Bhakta. One day his own Mohammedan soldier stabbed him because he did not like a Hindu king. And the person was dying. And his colleagues rushed and then they asked, tell us who killed you, stabbed you. We will give appropriate punishment. And he laughed and said, it was Rama who killed me. It was Rama. This would be the attitude until the body is dropped. That is the attitude of every Jeevan Mukta. With this, we will now enter into the next, last but one, 13th mantra. So the question that comes now is, how to turn towards God? Is there a God? How to turn towards God? That question we raised earlier, is being elaborately answered in this 13th mantra. What is it telling? Anadi Anantam. There is one. Call Him Ishwara. Call Him God. Call Him Brahman. Call Him Father in Heaven. Call Him Allah. Call Him by whatever name. It doesn't matter. God is only one and there cannot be two Gods. And what are these characteristics? Anadi Anantam. He is beginningless and He is endless. Whatever is beginningless must be only endless. What does it mean? It means He is eternal. Eternal being cannot have a beginning or an end. And then what happens? In this Samsara, He who created this Ghana Samsara, difficult Samsara, Vishwasya Srashtaram, He is the creator. Srishti Sthithi Vinashanam, Srikthi Bhute Sanatane, Gunashtriye Gunamayi, Narayani Namostuti. Vishwasya. Isha Vasyam Itahum Sarvam. He is the creator. In fact, He Himself is manifesting just as we manifest in the form of the entire dream world. From God's point of view, this is called dream world. Not real. What is dream world? There is no real world. Only seeming world. That is called Mithya world. So this entire what we call waking state is also a Mithya world only. What does He say? Vishwasya Srashtaram. The creator of the entire this universe. What universe? How vast is this universe? How many billions of galaxies? We cannot even imagine one galaxy. Billions and billions of galaxies are there. Some astronomers are also positing a fact. Perhaps there are not many universes, but there is a mirror. And in the mirror, just imagine, suppose you have a lot of mirrors, like previously in barbershops, it used to be full of mirrors. And then when you look at it, endless you in endless rooms, endless barbers, endless heads, you will be seeing. And if you go on seeing, really there is no end. So some people are positing the idea perhaps it is having a mirror effect, reflection effect. Whatever be the truth, this cosmos cannot be even imagined. But He is the creator. That means what? He is the manifester. And what is this world? Aneka roopam, infinite number of forms, roopas, infinite number of names, so that we can distinguish one from the other. Same also, infinite number of qualities, one petaled, two petaled, three, four, multiple, one thousand petaled, lotus, etc., etc., infinite number of forms, infinite number of gunas, roopa, nama, guna. And then the fact that is He different from this world? No. Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is enveloped. If you recollect, whether it is Narayana Suktam or Purusha Suktam, the idea is what? The whole universe. And in this, any head you see, that is God, Vishnu. Any hand, God's hand. Any ear, God's ears. Any legs, only an infinitesimal part of the, an infinitesimal part. That was the idea. In the previous verse we have seen, eleventh verse, that is valagra. Vala means hair. Split it into hundred. And that hundredth part, again you split it into another hundred. That means a billionth, billionth part of that hair. That is how a Jeeva looks. But, Angushta Matraha, Ravi Prabhavan, He is glowing like the midday sun, even though we are thinking He is small, because of the body. What is the parimana of Jeeva? In a mosquito's, in an amoeba's body, only very soon. But, that doesn't apply to your consciousness, Jeevatma. Jeevatma is infinite. So that is being said, Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is only manifesting, like clay pervading, every single part. In fact, there is no part, it is only Nama. It is only a misnomer, a name, name and form, and quality. But really speaking, other than clay, there is nothing else. And, we have to, by knowing Gnatva, Evam Gnatva, that word, Ekam is there, not Evam is not there. We have to supply. Evam Gnatva, knowing the Lord, knowing what, that, I do not exist, you do not exist, the world doesn't exist, then what about everything? Everything is God. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagatam. Evam, Evam Gnatva, one who realizes, not intellectual knowledge, but actually, Sarvapapaihi Mutsyate, then alone, he understands, Aham Brahmasmi, and for such a person, just as a person, thinking that he was bound by a thousand ropes, in his dream, as soon as somebody wakes him up, immediately he realizes, he was not in bondage, he was never in bondage, he will never be in bondage, that was just his daydream or night dream. I am that pure conscious being, Evam Mutsyate, immediately, as soon as he wakes up, to this knowledge, that I am Brahman, Mutsyate Sarvapashaihi, knowing the Lord, in the midst of the chaos, a beautiful word is used, Kalila, this is not the first time, we have also come in the earlier chapter, also the word Kalila, Kalila also is the name, when a fetus, even before the fetus is born, that is also in a very indistinguishable form, Kalila means very confusing, this is what we call a virile pool, very difficult to come out of it, but the Samsara is compared to a Kalila, Virile pool, Viram Krishna's favorite illustration will be Vishalakshir, Virile pool, that is, once a cart enters into it, nobody, no cart can come out, because it is so deep, a deep hole is there, and he will not be able to come out, but is there any way? Yes, knowing the Lord, in the midst of this chaos, that means Samsara is nothing, but it is only God, knowing that Samsara doesn't exist, that is why Mithya Jagat, Brahma Satyam, God alone is real, Jagat Mithya, this world doesn't exist, doesn't mean that it is not there, it means what we see and label it as the world, is none other than Brahman only, and so what about me? So, Jeevaha Brahma Eva Na Aparaha, Jeeva is none other than Brahman, but you have to extend, this world also is none other than Brahman, but not in this form, with Nama Rupa Guna, it is not Brahman, it is a manifestation of Brahman, with knowledge, it is only Brahman, because Brahman is Ekaha, Brahman is Nityaha, Brahman is Anantaha, Brahman is Anadi, this is what we have to understand, so the compassionate Lord alone, who unites the individual to the results of his actions, is also the cause for his liberation, it is he who bestows his grace, and how does his grace come? In two forms, God's grace inevitably comes to us in two forms, what is the first form? It comes in the form of the teachings of our Guru, God's grace immediately brings Guru, and who is a Guru? God's grace, in the form that we can contact, we can relate, we can serve, we can ask questions, and what does he speak? Nothing but pure scripture, that is God's knowledge, this is the first point, what is the second form of God's grace? It slowly transforms us, inspires us, it destroys all the obstacles, as we have seen in the life of Totapuri Maharaj, even though he was not realizing, he thought that I am doing sadhana, I am progressing, but the Divine Mother made him understand, that the desire for sadhana, first of all, the very human body, very hefty, healthy, strong, Punjabi human body, and then a mind endowed with sattva guna, a mind which has developed a yearning for God realization, and the obtainment of a great brahmajnani as a Guru, and rigorous training under the Guru for several years, until a person can meditate completely naked, even in the freezing cold, or in what is called torturous heat, either way, and what about the inner problems, kama, krodha, loba, moha, madha, matsarya, and one who has been completely saved, not even one hint, whether this person looks very beautiful, I would like to live with this person, no kama, no krodha, most important problem is kama only, whether it is for food, whether it is for beauty, whether it is for wealth, or for sense enjoyment, all are kama, and that kama, it will be thousand fold increasing, by the grace of God, not thousand fold, billion fold it will increase, but first of all, not many desires, only one desire, secondly, what is the desire? I want to go to my mother's house, mana chalo nija niketane. I realize I am wandering in a foreigner's dress, in a foreign country, and I want to go to my mana chalo nija niketane, otherwise, jabe ki hey din, shall all my days, O Lord, go in vain, I have already spent, no more, that's why Rama Krishna used to cry, O Mother, another day has passed, and I have not seen, so, that is how, through God's grace, human birth, God's grace, desire for liberation, and favorable environment, and by God's grace, complete removal of kama, krodha, etc., and at the end, giving the self-satisfaction, I have achieved everything, that is also Mother's will, a child must run here and there, then only it will feel, I have done a lot of job, work, hard work, I deserve mukti, then, that alone, all this comes as a result of God's grace. Then Sri Ramakrishna touched the hearts of people on 1st January 1886, and uttered those greatest blessings, chaitanya hok, may your spiritual consciousness be awake, and God consciousness be awake, what an infallible result of that touch, people had visions, people had bhavas, people had lot of different experiences, because a pure soul, with the greatest love, and pure motive, touched them in the most pure way, thinking that I am not touching, but my Divine Mother is touching, and that would be the journey's end. Just as in the outside world, the individual initially finds only chaos and confusion within, not in the beginning, in the beginning, the most marvellous place, I want to see what is happening, and enjoy it, then only he finds, it is only nothing but confusion and chaos, Kalila, then he turns, then the inward journey starts, it is more difficult, and obstacle written, but he goes on, and by God's grace, he meets the Lord, the creator of all, whom he then recognises, as this entire world, in everybody, as Kumara, Kumari, Puman, Stri, Vriddhaha, as everybody, and then he knows, I am also God, I am the Self, I am worthless, I am deathless, and then forever he is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and then that is what is being said in the final mantra of this fifth chapter, Those people, those who know this Deva, this Divine Lord, what happens? They give up this body, what does it mean? Not that they die, not that they kill, give up means what? Give up the agnanis view, that I am the body, I am the mind, that is all, body is there, body is not there, mind is there, mind is not there, is not a problem, problem is only I am the body, I am the mind, what type of Lord? Shivam, he is auspicious, what type of Lord? Bhava, Abhava, Karam, he can create, he can also dissolve, he can make manifest, he can also make unmanifest, Bhava, Abhava, he can bring something into being, and he can also take back into non-being, non-being means don't think, non-existence, non-being means unmanifest, and then Kala, Sarga, Karam, he had endowed this person with Shodasha Kalas, I will come to that, we dealt actually with it in the Krishna Upanishad, Bhava, Grahya, that means he understands only one thing, this Jeevatma loves me, he doesn't want anything else, and then Anidakhyam, he is beyond the Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira, and Karan Sharira, so those who know this God, who can be realized only through devotion, who is a divide of a body, who creates and destroys the world, who is pure, who projects the 16 parts, that those persons, knowing the Divine Lord, they attain Mukti, knowing the Divine Lord, how? By feeling, I am not the body, and I am not the mind, that is what he says. This is what Swami Vivekananda wants to tell us, by giving, any sincere spiritual person's prayer will be like the Prahlada's prayer taken from the Vishnu Purana, या प्रीतिर विवेकानाम् विषयेशु अनपायिने त्वाम् अनुस्मरतः सामे हृदयान् मापसर्पतु that deathless love, which the ignorant have, are the fleeting objects of the senses. As I keep meditating on you, may I not, may not that love slip away from my heart. That means, may I always be loving and devoted towards you. There is nothing else. And then, Sri Ramakrishna goes into ecstasy, like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He says, that only God's grace, he says, only, O God, pray, give me knowledge, give me devotion, and reveal yourself to me. And Sri Ramakrishna said, repeat his name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts. And then he says, a poet has compared devotion to a tiger. Just like the tiger devours animals, devotion alone can swallow up all the archenemies of man, like kama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha, matsarya. And a devotee asks, we have passions, and why should God create passions? He says, the impulse of lust should be turned into the desire to have intercourse with Atman, etc., etc. Then Sri Ramakrishna says, that single-pointed devotion and faith is the only key to God realization. Love, devotion, and faith in God is the only way. There is no other way. Then Krishna Upanishad says, this Kalasarga Karam has nothing to do with hearts. There are five, what are the sixteen aspects? What are those? Shodasya Kalapurna. Five elements, bhutas, faith, shraddha, prana, indriyas, mind, strength, food, penance, mantra, realms of experience, and go back to the Krishna Upanishad, sixth, last question, fourth mantra. So, having given up all identity with the body, such a person, what does he do? He completely becomes a realized soul, he becomes a Mukta Purusha. This is the most marvelous chapter having fourteen mantras. What are the effects of these? Fourteen mantras are there. So, first it starts with that Brahman is beyond anybody's imagination. But both vidya and avidya are there. And avidya prepares us for vidya and vidya releases us. ksharam tu avidya amrutam tu vidya vidya vidya ishate estu so anyaha In the immutable, infinite supreme Brahman remain hidden the two, knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance leads to worldliness and knowledge to immortality. Brahman controls both knowledge and ignorance because both help a person evolve towards God. That is the idea. Don't think that God will ever damn us. In the second is telling God is everything. God is everybody. Everybody is God. God is everything. yo yonim yonim adi tishtati ekaha He is the non-dual Brahman who rules over everybody. And then He is the Jalavan. He is the Ishwara sarva-bhutana prideshaya arjuna tishtati brahman sarva-bhutani entrarudhani mayaya He is running this show called the Samsara. He is the script writer. He is the director. He is the producer. He is the actors and actresses. He is the stage of the drama. He is the audience. He is the critic. He is everything other than Him. Nobody is there. And that is reinforced in the fourth mantra sarva-disha, udvam, adasya, teriya He is there above, below, left, right, inside, outside. But He is only manifesting as the Jeeva. This Jeeva appears to be very small because of the body and mind. Angushta matra, but ravitulya roopaha He is really no less than that bright sun. And then in the thirteenth we have seen that anadhyanantam kalilasyamathye vishvasya srashtaram aneka roopam vishvasya ekam parivesthitaram nathva demam uchyate arvapashayi He who knows the Lord, who is without beginning or end, who stands in the midst of the chaos of this Samsara, who is the creator of all things and endowed with many forms, He who knows that radiant divine being, the sole pervader of the universe, is forever released from all his fears. And then in the last 14th mantra, He is called bhavagrahim anidakhyam bhavabhavakaram shivam kalasargakaram devam evaduhu te juhuhu tanum. Those who know Him, who can be realized by the pure heart, who is called incorporeal, who is the cause of creation and destruction, who is all good and the creator of the 16 parts, those who realize the luminous Lord are freed forever from Samsara. With this, we completed the 5th chapter, 14th mantras. From next week, we enter into the 6th and last chapter of the Shweta Shwetara Upanishad. Om Jananem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padu Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamaame Muhur Mahuhu May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.
[[Category:Svetasvatara Upanishad]]
[[Category:Svetasvatara Upanishad]]

Revision as of 00:28, 10 July 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We have been studying in the last class the 12th mantra of the 5th chapter of the Shwetashvatara Upanishad. This is a beautiful Upanishad and especially in this 5th chapter, the fact that each one of us are responsible for our own fate, what we call karma phala, prarabdha in this life. No one else is responsible. In fact, to put it even better, we are Brahmas. Each one of us are creating our own world and it has no similarity to the other person's world. The most astonishing fact of this statement is, every creature, that is, every creature who thinks I am the doer, so naturally this doesn't apply to animals, insects, children, madcaps, etc. Anybody who thinks I am the doer is subjected to the result of one's own actions. But the astonishing fact is each one of us are Brahmas. We create our own world. We maintain our own world. We destroy our own world. So that is the first fact. The second fact is each one of us are living in our own peculiar individual world and we don't know what the other person's world is. Once somebody had written a very beautiful book. In fact, it is not a writing. It is full of photographs. What does it show? It shows that a child is sitting in a room at the feet of his dad and his mother and father are sitting there. So the child, his view of father, mother and the entire world is completely incomprehensible to father and mother. The world of the wife is incomprehensible to the husband. The world of the husband is incomprehensible to the world of the wife. So each one of us are living in our own peculiar world. Can we understand it better through any analogy? Yes, dream. Even if a thousand people of us are living in the same room, go to bed and we have our own dreams, there is no resemblance. Every one of us are living in our own created world. So the fact that exactly the same thing happens in the waking world we have to infer from the example of the dream. So that is what this twelfth mantra is symbolizing. This is what he says, the Rishi, Shweta Shvatara Rishi, sthulani, sukshmani, bahuni chaiva, rupani, dehi, swagunaihi, vrunoti, kriyagunaihi, atmagunaihi, chatesham. These three, one and a half lines, point out the nature of each one of us. We create, sthulani. If I am fat, if I am gross, my own creation. If I am subtle, my own creation. Means both my body and mind and everybody's bodies and minds are each person's creations. Bahuni chaiva, I may be a mosquito, I may be an amoeba, I may be an Indra, I may be a Brahma in Brahmaloka. How does it happen? Rupani, these are all different forms for exhausting our own karma phala. And that's why we are called dehi. Here dehi means one who identifies totally with the Deha. So how does he manifest in these forms? In fact, the word used by the Upanishad here, vrunoti, chooses. He doesn't want. A billion, billion choices are there. He rejects all of them. He only opts for this particular one. What makes him do it? His own purva janma karma, vasanas. And that is being said, kriya gunaihi. Whatever actions a person does and every action is done, not only physically but also attitudinal wise through what? One's own gunas. Gunaihi. What guna? Sattva, rajas and tamas. Plus, atma guna is said. Here atma means body. Somebody's body is a baby's body. Somebody is a youth. Somebody is a middle-aged. Somebody is old. Somebody is diseased. And then somebody is a drunk. Somebody is a drug addict. So all these things play a very important part in what a person does. So we are responsible for our own gunas. We are bound by our own past karmas. And what creates the past karmas? Previous past karma. So it is endless. That's why it is said samsara is anadi. But is there any way out? Here two important questions pop up. The first question is we do the actions and that action is over. We even forget what we have done. Most of the time we do not remember what we have done. Perhaps we have uttered abusive words towards somebody. We don't remember. Or we might have uttered very praising words. That also we don't remember. Sometimes we remember a little bit of it. Most of it we don't remember. Then what karmas I have done in my past life? I don't remember anything. None of us remember anything. Then how come those actions bear fruit exactly according to what we have done? What we get, the results will be completely 100% proportionate to what we have done. That is where the question comes that I do not have the capacity. Then who is having? Ishwara is called aparaha. Aparaha means somebody else other than the jivatma. Drishtaha. Definitely we have to conclude, infer if we are thinking rationally. And what is his job? He is the cause. He is called vidhata. He is the person who brings the particular jiva in contact with the particular prarabdha karma. That is what is being said. This is the first question. Because karma cannot bring, we forget what we have done. So there must be a third factor, a third conscious being who is observing whatever we have been doing. And who knows what we have been doing, what we have done and even what we are going to do. And gives appropriate body-mind complex. That is the first answer. Then what is the second question? Perhaps I have done. Maybe because of ignorance. Is there any way out? What is the answer? Yes, definitely there is a way out. So then do I have any free will? Yes, you have a free will. But the free will has to be used not freely but in accordance with the scripture. These are the three points with some quotations. I want to discuss before we close this. After all, only another two more are there, two more mantras. It is the essence of the next mantra is exactly the same. The last mantra, 14th mantra tells us, like Bhagavan Krishna tells us at the end of the Gita, Sarva Dharmaan Parityajya, take complete surrender, refuse in me. You cannot get out of this samsara. That is what he wants to tell. Bhavagrahya. We will deal with that when it comes. Now these three questions. So who brings us in, who joins our karmas with our karma phala, with the jiva? Second, if I have done something wrong, is there any way out after I realize it? And if there is a way out, what are the conditions? Second question. Third question would be that finally we have to surrender ourselves to God. If we want to get out of this endless samsara saga, let us start with it. So first of all, I want to quote, I have come across beautiful quotations from Garuda Purana. By the way, Garuda Purana is one of the beautiful Puranas. You know, we have got 36 Puranas, 18 called Mukhya Puranas, 18 are called Upa Puranas. This Garuda Purana is a very important Purana. What does it say? Happiness or misery, fear or welfare are definitely the results of one's own actions. And then it goes on. There is a fetus. It lies in the womb with the feet up and the face downwards, being forced out during the birth process. What is the point? It is a fetus, completely innocent, but it doesn't know it is carrying a mountain load of Karmaphala behind it. And then Garuda Purana enters into this most expletive expression, If a person has done exceedingly great Punya, then what happens? He will be born in a house like Bhagwan Krishna says, So it is only the result of great Punya. A person is born in a very fortunate family, he will be only swimming in joy. But the person who has done exceedingly evil actions, Whatever he has done, And then the Garuda Purana continues, Oh Garuda, I am telling you, somebody is born Dharidra, means most unfortunate fellow. Always undergoing suffering, added to that, he has become an idiot. He doesn't have the power to discriminate, even to know that he is responsible. Only his mind is always running after evil actions. And therefore he will be enjoying. Bhajanam means he who is enjoying. Of what? Dukkha. Dukkha means suffering. So what else should I tell you? Oh Garuda, this is the essence of what is done. So one becomes poor, sweet, foolish, sinful and miserable by one's own actions. And then Swami Vekananda, the greatest rationalist as it were, what does he say? In his, especially the fourth line, the fourth shloka in his Song of the Sannyasin, Who sows must reap, they say, and cause must bring the sure effect. Good, good, bad, bad, and none escape the law. But whoso wears a form must wear the chain. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form is Atman, ever free. Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Sat Om. What is Swami Vekananda telling? Rarely we sit and then contemplate what Swami Vekananda is telling. What is he telling? It is true. In everybody's case, Karma phala applies. Punya brings enjoyable results. Papa brings suffering. Inevitable, true, true. It is very true. Whoever has got a body, his body comes only for the sake of really exhausting one's own Prarabdha Karma. But he says, this is all true. But don't stop here. Too true, but far beyond, both name and form, far beyond any Karma, far beyond any Karma phala, is the Atman, ever free, never bound. And then, how do I know that I will be free from Samsara? Know thou art that Sannyasin bold, say Om Tat Sat Om. And this is the essence, or this is what Swami Vekananda is summarizing, the 14th mantra of this 5th chapter. Now the question, or maybe he was the Rishi, who knows? Because, let us not forget, Swami Vekananda was one of the Sapta Rishis. So, he himself might have written Shweta Shvatara, or Mandukya, or Isha Vashya, or Brihadaranyika. We don't know. But he is a Rishi. Rishi means he knows the truth. And he is telling us the truth. So the question comes. Now, what is the question? What was the first question? That who brings about? It is all Ishwara. He is Sarvagna. He is witnessing all our actions. He brings each Jeeva into contact with her own Karma phala. But the only addenda we have to add at the end is, every human being will not get any Karma phala. Only those people who have got Ahamkara. I am the doer. Like the Brahmin of that garden. I quoted yesterday, or day before yesterday, in one of the classes. So only such a person, because he feels I am the doer, I must get this Karma phala. And such a person alone. As I said, a child, a mad person, or animals, they have Ahamkara. But they don't have that deliberative Ahamkara. I am planning to do it. I will scheme and do it. That kind of Ahamkara. If they have, they will get Karma phala. That is why animals, non-humans are free from Karma phala. Among humans, children and mad people are free from Karma phala. Now the question comes. The second question, is there any way out? Yes, Holy Mother says here, that if a person had to experience, a ploughshare has to enter into his body and then split it into two. But by God's grace, one can get away with a pinprick. Even Holy Mother is telling, because she is the Ishwara. What is she telling? That Karma phala cannot go without being experienced. But the quantum of Karma phala can be brought down drastically by surrendering ourselves to the Divine. That is absolutely true. Now, it is very easy. So many people asked me the question. So, can we do that? No, it can be done. But there are certain conditions attached to it. What are the conditions? The first condition is, we must accept. I have done this. I was ignorant. I was foolish. I take all responsibility. That is the first thing. Second, is there any way out? Yes. If you don't accept God, you will have to go through it yourself. But if you turn towards God and say, Lord, I have done this. I am responsible. But out of your infinite mercy, please forgive me. Now the condition comes. God will forgive and He will make you pleasantly overcome that situation. What is the condition? From now onwards, I will never repeat it. That should be the condition. You forgive me, but next time I will again go and do it. God is not going to forgive me. And that is what is being said, He who brings every Jeeva into this condition, that is, Sanyoga means union. Union means joining Purojanma Karma Phala with the present Jeevatma's body and mind. In fact, the result of Purojanma Karma is in this life's Prarabdha Karma, already before birth itself it started. Now the second question is, if we surrender ourselves to God, He can forgive us. And what is the authority? Upanishad is the authority. But Bhagavad Gita sums it up very beautifully in two shlokas. It says here, 9th chapter, 30th, अपिचेत सुद्राचारो भजते मां नन्यभाः साधुरेव समंतव्यह सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा Even if a person is the worst of the sinners, sinner among all the other sinners, but he who takes refuge in Me, turning towards Me, he takes refuge in Me, he should be considered as a spiritual person, as a divine person, because सम्यत् यवसितोहि सहा That person has turned towards Me, that is the right thing he has done, and he has decided. What did he decide? Two things he decided. From now onwards, I will never again repeat it. And second thing is, I will always be dependent upon God. Means what? Means I will do exactly what God expects me to do and I will never do what God had forbidden me. Where did He forbid you? Where did He enjoin you? Every scripture is God's word. And so, Krishna Bhagawan, He continues, Such a person who takes refuge in God, which means he had changed over, transformation for the better. He turns, as we say in English language, a new turn over a new leaf. What happened? क्षिप्रम् भवति धर्मात्मा Very soon, He will not only be given up, positively He becomes a Dharmatma. And what is the result? शिष्वत् चान्तिम् निगच्छति Retains eternal peace. And then He says, कौंतेया These are not empty words nor only spoken to you. कौंतेया हे अर्जुना प्रति जानिः Go and declare it openly to the whole world. नमे भक्तः प्रणश्यति My devotee can never ever perish. And the Ramakrishna is a beautiful conversation. Is there a free will? So we are dealing with the third question that has come. What was the first question? That who brings about the union of our karma phala with ourselves? Ishwara Second question, is there any way out? Holy Mother says, turn towards God. Never repeat what you have done. And क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा What is the third one? Do we have really a free will? It looks as though we have. Ramakrishna's invaluable expressions. Invaluable because hardly we take any notice. So there was a devotee called Vaidyanath. Ramakrishna is telling. All that you see is the manifestation of God's power. No one can do anything without this power. But what Ramakrishna is telling is even an evil person's doing, the power belongs to God only. The person because of past samskara or ahankara, he misuses God's power, not giving him the credit for it. But you must remember, Ramakrishna continues, there is not an equal manifestation of God's power in everybody. Everything has its own special manifestation. So Vidyasagar once asked me whether God endowed some with greater power than others. I said to him, if there are no greater and lesser manifestations of His power, then why have we taken the trouble to visit you? Have you grown two horns? So it stands to reason that God exists in all beings as the all-pervasive power, but the manifestations of His power are different in different beings. Sir, Vaidyanath asks, I have a doubt. People speak of free will. They say that man can do either good or evil according to his own free will. Is it true? Are we really free to do whatever we like? And this is where Ramakrishna's Upanishadic warning comes out. Master, everything depends on the will of God. The world is His play. He has created all these different things, great and small, strong and weak, good and bad, virtuous and vicious. This is all His maya, His sport. And that is what exactly we have seen. Eko Jalavani Va I think in the very second mantra of this very fifth chapter, a lord is like a fisherman. He throws the net of maya. Net here stands for maya. But it is not maya to torture us. It is His sport, leela. You must have observed that all the trees in a garden are not of the same kind. Beautifully, Sir Ramakrishna gives similes for every teaching for easier grasp. But here is something invaluable teaching of Sir Ramakrishna. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. As long as a man has not realized God, he thinks he is free. What does it mean? It means he may think he is free, but really he is not free. It is God Himself. Second sentence. It is God Himself who keeps this error in man. This is an error. Then what is the right thing? That God alone is free. He alone has the freedom. But it is His free will. He is moving me as He wants to move. So who is responsible? God. How does He do it? Through His maya. This error in man. Otherwise, sin would have multiplied. That means what is Ramakrishna telling? If somebody does sin, like that Brahmin, and then goes on telling it is God who has done it, through His Adishta, through Devata called Indra, then sin would have multiplied. Man would not have been afraid of sin. And there would have been no punishment had there been no punishment for it. But do you know the attitude of one who has realized God? He feels I am the machine and thou, O Lord, are the operator. I move as thou movest me. I speak as thou makest me speak. Then if everything happens by God's will, where does free will come in? What is the need for punya and papa, heaven and hell? This was the question put to Ramakrishna. Ramakrishna answers that as long as we believe we have free will, we have to own up the consequences of actions done by us with our free will. So only those who think I have a free will, karma phala will come to that person. But it is indeed true that at the higher level of comprehension, that means one who has become a Gnani, a person who attains this conviction firmly that everything is God's will, is the one who has attained God-realization. In other words, only a Jeevan Mukta can say everything is God's will. And what are we saying? Everything is my will. We want to do sinful actions, but we don't want to reap the results of the sinful actions. But we definitely want to reap the results of our punya karma. That we don't want to give up. Only the results of our apa karma we would like to give up. So Sri Ramakrishna says that whatever that person Jeevan Mukta does, is simply the act of God and it will only be perfect and right and it will bring welfare to everybody. And then this is beautifully illustrated by a marvelous parable by Sri Ramakrishna. The virtuous weaver. Not only in the Mahabharata, the virtuous Dharmaviyatha, but Sri Ramakrishna, a virtuous weaver. I do not need to remind you, but very briefly, there was a weaver. He was a very virtuous man. He would never do anything wrong, but once some robbers caught him, made him carry the looted goods. When the police came, they knew how to run away. But this man, he was caught, brought in front of the magistrate and he said what had happened. And he said that by Rama's will, I am free. By Rama's will only, he never said those wicked people had made me do carry that robbed money, looted money. He said it is Rama's will. Even those robbers were only robbers. By Rama's will. And the magistrate must have been a good person. We have to remember. There are people who say law is law. We don't understand all these things. You have been caught red-handed. You will be given punishment. Supposing in this case, Sri Ramakrishna's illustration, the magistrate understood and said let him go free. And then when he came out, he said my becoming free is also Rama's will. And people's respect for him increased enormously. He had no regrets. He had nobody to blame. We have to meditate upon this parable. Supposing an officer, a magistrate, who says I don't know all those things. You have been caught and you will have to be put in jail. All right, we are going to put you for two years in jail. What would have been the reaction of the weaver? That is also Rama's will. And what do you think he will be doing in the jail? That is where the fun comes. What is it? Previously, he had to do back-breaking work to earn his livelihood. But now, Her Majesty's or His Majesty's government will provide him with lodging, boarding and everything. So he would have more time to think about his Rama. That is why Ramakrishna says that along with the idea of free will, the concepts of Punya and Papa too shall coexist. So we have raised three questions and answered three questions. I hope you will remember. First question, Ishwara brings us into union with our own Prarabdha Karma. Second, there is a way out. The condition is we should never repeat. We should turn towards God. Surrender ourselves to God. Of course, in one day it will not come. But Kshipram Bhavate Dharmatma. He will never again do anything bad. On the contrary, he will do what is absolutely good. What is the third thing? He realizes man has no free will. Everything is done by him only. And that means the Aham Bhavana is completely removed from him. What Bhavana is there? I am a machine in the hands of God accepting that Bhavana. No other Bhavana is there. And then what would be the consequence? Whatever this person undergoes, even if he has to have throat cancer or any type of somebody is cutting his throat, from his word only comes, only one thing that will come. It is Rama's will. Ramakrishna also quotes the incident from a warrior who was also a great Rama Bhakta. One day his own Mohammedan soldier stabbed him because he did not like a Hindu king. And the person was dying. And his colleagues rushed and then they asked, tell us who killed you, stabbed you. We will give appropriate punishment. And he laughed and said, it was Rama who killed me. It was Rama. This would be the attitude until the body is dropped. That is the attitude of every Jeevan Mukta. With this, we will now enter into the next, last but one, 13th mantra. So the question that comes now is, how to turn towards God? Is there a God? How to turn towards God? That question we raised earlier, is being elaborately answered in this 13th mantra. What is it telling? Anadi Anantam. There is one. Call Him Ishwara. Call Him God. Call Him Brahman. Call Him Father in Heaven. Call Him Allah. Call Him by whatever name. It doesn't matter. God is only one and there cannot be two Gods. And what are these characteristics? Anadi Anantam. He is beginningless and He is endless. Whatever is beginningless must be only endless. What does it mean? It means He is eternal. Eternal being cannot have a beginning or an end. And then what happens? In this Samsara, He who created this Ghana Samsara, difficult Samsara, Vishwasya Srashtaram, He is the creator. Srishti Sthithi Vinashanam, Srikthi Bhute Sanatane, Gunashtriye Gunamayi, Narayani Namostuti. Vishwasya. Isha Vasyam Itahum Sarvam. He is the creator. In fact, He Himself is manifesting just as we manifest in the form of the entire dream world. From God's point of view, this is called dream world. Not real. What is dream world? There is no real world. Only seeming world. That is called Mithya world. So this entire what we call waking state is also a Mithya world only. What does He say? Vishwasya Srashtaram. The creator of the entire this universe. What universe? How vast is this universe? How many billions of galaxies? We cannot even imagine one galaxy. Billions and billions of galaxies are there. Some astronomers are also positing a fact. Perhaps there are not many universes, but there is a mirror. And in the mirror, just imagine, suppose you have a lot of mirrors, like previously in barbershops, it used to be full of mirrors. And then when you look at it, endless you in endless rooms, endless barbers, endless heads, you will be seeing. And if you go on seeing, really there is no end. So some people are positing the idea perhaps it is having a mirror effect, reflection effect. Whatever be the truth, this cosmos cannot be even imagined. But He is the creator. That means what? He is the manifester. And what is this world? Aneka roopam, infinite number of forms, roopas, infinite number of names, so that we can distinguish one from the other. Same also, infinite number of qualities, one petaled, two petaled, three, four, multiple, one thousand petaled, lotus, etc., etc., infinite number of forms, infinite number of gunas, roopa, nama, guna. And then the fact that is He different from this world? No. Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is enveloped. If you recollect, whether it is Narayana Suktam or Purusha Suktam, the idea is what? The whole universe. And in this, any head you see, that is God, Vishnu. Any hand, God's hand. Any ear, God's ears. Any legs, only an infinitesimal part of the, an infinitesimal part. That was the idea. In the previous verse we have seen, eleventh verse, that is valagra. Vala means hair. Split it into hundred. And that hundredth part, again you split it into another hundred. That means a billionth, billionth part of that hair. That is how a Jeeva looks. But, Angushta Matraha, Ravi Prabhavan, He is glowing like the midday sun, even though we are thinking He is small, because of the body. What is the parimana of Jeeva? In a mosquito's, in an amoeba's body, only very soon. But, that doesn't apply to your consciousness, Jeevatma. Jeevatma is infinite. So that is being said, Vishwasya ekam pariveshti taram. He is only manifesting, like clay pervading, every single part. In fact, there is no part, it is only Nama. It is only a misnomer, a name, name and form, and quality. But really speaking, other than clay, there is nothing else. And, we have to, by knowing Gnatva, Evam Gnatva, that word, Ekam is there, not Evam is not there. We have to supply. Evam Gnatva, knowing the Lord, knowing what, that, I do not exist, you do not exist, the world doesn't exist, then what about everything? Everything is God. Sarvam Vishnumayam Jagatam. Evam, Evam Gnatva, one who realizes, not intellectual knowledge, but actually, Sarvapapaihi Mutsyate, then alone, he understands, Aham Brahmasmi, and for such a person, just as a person, thinking that he was bound by a thousand ropes, in his dream, as soon as somebody wakes him up, immediately he realizes, he was not in bondage, he was never in bondage, he will never be in bondage, that was just his daydream or night dream. I am that pure conscious being, Evam Mutsyate, immediately, as soon as he wakes up, to this knowledge, that I am Brahman, Mutsyate Sarvapashaihi, knowing the Lord, in the midst of the chaos, a beautiful word is used, Kalila, this is not the first time, we have also come in the earlier chapter, also the word Kalila, Kalila also is the name, when a fetus, even before the fetus is born, that is also in a very indistinguishable form, Kalila means very confusing, this is what we call a virile pool, very difficult to come out of it, but the Samsara is compared to a Kalila, Virile pool, Viram Krishna's favorite illustration will be Vishalakshir, Virile pool, that is, once a cart enters into it, nobody, no cart can come out, because it is so deep, a deep hole is there, and he will not be able to come out, but is there any way? Yes, knowing the Lord, in the midst of this chaos, that means Samsara is nothing, but it is only God, knowing that Samsara doesn't exist, that is why Mithya Jagat, Brahma Satyam, God alone is real, Jagat Mithya, this world doesn't exist, doesn't mean that it is not there, it means what we see and label it as the world, is none other than Brahman only, and so what about me? So, Jeevaha Brahma Eva Na Aparaha, Jeeva is none other than Brahman, but you have to extend, this world also is none other than Brahman, but not in this form, with Nama Rupa Guna, it is not Brahman, it is a manifestation of Brahman, with knowledge, it is only Brahman, because Brahman is Ekaha, Brahman is Nityaha, Brahman is Anantaha, Brahman is Anadi, this is what we have to understand, so the compassionate Lord alone, who unites the individual to the results of his actions, is also the cause for his liberation, it is he who bestows his grace, and how does his grace come? In two forms, God's grace inevitably comes to us in two forms, what is the first form? It comes in the form of the teachings of our Guru, God's grace immediately brings Guru, and who is a Guru? God's grace, in the form that we can contact, we can relate, we can serve, we can ask questions, and what does he speak? Nothing but pure scripture, that is God's knowledge, this is the first point, what is the second form of God's grace? It slowly transforms us, inspires us, it destroys all the obstacles, as we have seen in the life of Totapuri Maharaj, even though he was not realizing, he thought that I am doing sadhana, I am progressing, but the Divine Mother made him understand, that the desire for sadhana, first of all, the very human body, very hefty, healthy, strong, Punjabi human body, and then a mind endowed with sattva guna, a mind which has developed a yearning for God realization, and the obtainment of a great brahmajnani as a Guru, and rigorous training under the Guru for several years, until a person can meditate completely naked, even in the freezing cold, or in what is called torturous heat, either way, and what about the inner problems, kama, krodha, loba, moha, madha, matsarya, and one who has been completely saved, not even one hint, whether this person looks very beautiful, I would like to live with this person, no kama, no krodha, most important problem is kama only, whether it is for food, whether it is for beauty, whether it is for wealth, or for sense enjoyment, all are kama, and that kama, it will be thousand fold increasing, by the grace of God, not thousand fold, billion fold it will increase, but first of all, not many desires, only one desire, secondly, what is the desire? I want to go to my mother's house, mana chalo nija niketane. I realize I am wandering in a foreigner's dress, in a foreign country, and I want to go to my mana chalo nija niketane, otherwise, jabe ki hey din, shall all my days, O Lord, go in vain, I have already spent, no more, that's why Rama Krishna used to cry, O Mother, another day has passed, and I have not seen, so, that is how, through God's grace, human birth, God's grace, desire for liberation, and favorable environment, and by God's grace, complete removal of kama, krodha, etc., and at the end, giving the self-satisfaction, I have achieved everything, that is also Mother's will, a child must run here and there, then only it will feel, I have done a lot of job, work, hard work, I deserve mukti, then, that alone, all this comes as a result of God's grace. Then Sri Ramakrishna touched the hearts of people on 1st January 1886, and uttered those greatest blessings, chaitanya hok, may your spiritual consciousness be awake, and God consciousness be awake, what an infallible result of that touch, people had visions, people had bhavas, people had lot of different experiences, because a pure soul, with the greatest love, and pure motive, touched them in the most pure way, thinking that I am not touching, but my Divine Mother is touching, and that would be the journey's end. Just as in the outside world, the individual initially finds only chaos and confusion within, not in the beginning, in the beginning, the most marvellous place, I want to see what is happening, and enjoy it, then only he finds, it is only nothing but confusion and chaos, Kalila, then he turns, then the inward journey starts, it is more difficult, and obstacle written, but he goes on, and by God's grace, he meets the Lord, the creator of all, whom he then recognises, as this entire world, in everybody, as Kumara, Kumari, Puman, Stri, Vriddhaha, as everybody, and then he knows, I am also God, I am the Self, I am worthless, I am deathless, and then forever he is liberated from the cycle of birth and death, and then that is what is being said in the final mantra of this fifth chapter, Those people, those who know this Deva, this Divine Lord, what happens? They give up this body, what does it mean? Not that they die, not that they kill, give up means what? Give up the agnanis view, that I am the body, I am the mind, that is all, body is there, body is not there, mind is there, mind is not there, is not a problem, problem is only I am the body, I am the mind, what type of Lord? Shivam, he is auspicious, what type of Lord? Bhava, Abhava, Karam, he can create, he can also dissolve, he can make manifest, he can also make unmanifest, Bhava, Abhava, he can bring something into being, and he can also take back into non-being, non-being means don't think, non-existence, non-being means unmanifest, and then Kala, Sarga, Karam, he had endowed this person with Shodasha Kalas, I will come to that, we dealt actually with it in the Krishna Upanishad, Bhava, Grahya, that means he understands only one thing, this Jeevatma loves me, he doesn't want anything else, and then Anidakhyam, he is beyond the Sthula Sharira, Sukshma Sharira, and Karan Sharira, so those who know this God, who can be realized only through devotion, who is a divide of a body, who creates and destroys the world, who is pure, who projects the 16 parts, that those persons, knowing the Divine Lord, they attain Mukti, knowing the Divine Lord, how? By feeling, I am not the body, and I am not the mind, that is what he says. This is what Swami Vivekananda wants to tell us, by giving, any sincere spiritual person's prayer will be like the Prahlada's prayer taken from the Vishnu Purana, या प्रीतिर विवेकानाम् विषयेशु अनपायिने त्वाम् अनुस्मरतः सामे हृदयान् मापसर्पतु that deathless love, which the ignorant have, are the fleeting objects of the senses. As I keep meditating on you, may I not, may not that love slip away from my heart. That means, may I always be loving and devoted towards you. There is nothing else. And then, Sri Ramakrishna goes into ecstasy, like Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He says, that only God's grace, he says, only, O God, pray, give me knowledge, give me devotion, and reveal yourself to me. And Sri Ramakrishna said, repeat his name, and sins will disappear. Thus you will destroy lust, anger, the desire for creature comforts. And then he says, a poet has compared devotion to a tiger. Just like the tiger devours animals, devotion alone can swallow up all the archenemies of man, like kama, krodha, lobha, moha, madha, matsarya. And a devotee asks, we have passions, and why should God create passions? He says, the impulse of lust should be turned into the desire to have intercourse with Atman, etc., etc. Then Sri Ramakrishna says, that single-pointed devotion and faith is the only key to God realization. Love, devotion, and faith in God is the only way. There is no other way. Then Krishna Upanishad says, this Kalasarga Karam has nothing to do with hearts. There are five, what are the sixteen aspects? What are those? Shodasya Kalapurna. Five elements, bhutas, faith, shraddha, prana, indriyas, mind, strength, food, penance, mantra, realms of experience, and go back to the Krishna Upanishad, sixth, last question, fourth mantra. So, having given up all identity with the body, such a person, what does he do? He completely becomes a realized soul, he becomes a Mukta Purusha. This is the most marvelous chapter having fourteen mantras. What are the effects of these? Fourteen mantras are there. So, first it starts with that Brahman is beyond anybody's imagination. But both vidya and avidya are there. And avidya prepares us for vidya and vidya releases us. ksharam tu avidya amrutam tu vidya vidya vidya ishate estu so anyaha In the immutable, infinite supreme Brahman remain hidden the two, knowledge and ignorance. Ignorance leads to worldliness and knowledge to immortality. Brahman controls both knowledge and ignorance because both help a person evolve towards God. That is the idea. Don't think that God will ever damn us. In the second is telling God is everything. God is everybody. Everybody is God. God is everything. yo yonim yonim adi tishtati ekaha He is the non-dual Brahman who rules over everybody. And then He is the Jalavan. He is the Ishwara sarva-bhutana prideshaya arjuna tishtati brahman sarva-bhutani entrarudhani mayaya He is running this show called the Samsara. He is the script writer. He is the director. He is the producer. He is the actors and actresses. He is the stage of the drama. He is the audience. He is the critic. He is everything other than Him. Nobody is there. And that is reinforced in the fourth mantra sarva-disha, udvam, adasya, teriya He is there above, below, left, right, inside, outside. But He is only manifesting as the Jeeva. This Jeeva appears to be very small because of the body and mind. Angushta matra, but ravitulya roopaha He is really no less than that bright sun. And then in the thirteenth we have seen that anadhyanantam kalilasyamathye vishvasya srashtaram aneka roopam vishvasya ekam parivesthitaram nathva demam uchyate arvapashayi He who knows the Lord, who is without beginning or end, who stands in the midst of the chaos of this Samsara, who is the creator of all things and endowed with many forms, He who knows that radiant divine being, the sole pervader of the universe, is forever released from all his fears. And then in the last 14th mantra, He is called bhavagrahim anidakhyam bhavabhavakaram shivam kalasargakaram devam evaduhu te juhuhu tanum. Those who know Him, who can be realized by the pure heart, who is called incorporeal, who is the cause of creation and destruction, who is all good and the creator of the 16 parts, those who realize the luminous Lord are freed forever from Samsara. With this, we completed the 5th chapter, 14th mantras. From next week, we enter into the 6th and last chapter of the Shweta Shwetara Upanishad. Om Jananem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Padu Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamaame Muhur Mahuhu May Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.