Mandukya Karika Lecture 148 on 03-April-2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

In our last Mandukya Karika class, we completed Karika 93 and entered into 94. Practically, from 90 onwards, Gaudapada wants to emphasize only two points. Those who are ignorant people, they see only difference, Dvaitam. And those who are realized souls, they are pure; they see only Brahman everywhere. So, those who see Brahman, they are ever immersed in bliss, unimaginable bliss. And that is the goal of each one of us. So, this is what he wants to condemn. And as I mentioned earlier, whenever any Acharya condemns something, it is not merely to criticize somebody, to find fault with somebody, but to praise the opposite view. So, if an ignorant person is condemned, there is actually no need to condemn an ignorant person. Who is an ignorant person? We ourselves sometimes get mixed up, confused. We have no clear idea. An intelligent person is a wise person. A wise person is a happy person. And an ignorant person is a very unhappy person. After all, wise or otherwise, everybody is in search of happiness only. Only a wise person very soon gives up searching in the wrong place, in the wrong objects. A wise person very soon comes to know that this search is completely useless and turns his sight inward. Whereas an ignorant person, he always takes up an object and then he goes through a lot of agony. And then he thinks, "I committed a mistake in choosing this particular object. But if I choose some other object, then I will be a very happy person." So, one after the other, he goes on trying for many, many janmas. Everybody is, of course, potentially divine. A time will come when such persons also turn their attention completely to God or Brahman. And then he stops. How do we know he has become a wise person? So, he stops searching. Because he understands that there is no peace, there is no happiness, there is no purity anywhere other than Brahman, other than God. That is called the process of Viveka, discrimination. And then he turns his attention only to God or Brahman.

Now, Gaudapada, in this 94th Karika, intends to convey to us a profound message, which we will delve into later. So, in the 94th Karika, it goes like this:

वैशारद्यं तु वै नास्ति भेदे विचरतां सदा ।

भेदनिम्नाः पृथग्वादास्तस्मात्ते कृपणाः स्मृताः ॥ ९४ ॥

vaiśāradyaṃ tu vai nāsti bhede vicaratāṃ sadā |

bhedanimnāḥ pṛthagvādāstasmātte kṛpaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ || 94 ||

94. Those who always rely on (attach themselves to) separateness can never realise the innate purity of the Self Therefore those who are drowned in the idea of separateness and who assert the separateness of (entities) are called narrow-minded.

It means those who always rely or attach themselves to separateness, differentiation, dvaitam, can never realize the innate purity of one's own self. Therefore, those who are drowned in the idea of separateness and continuously assert that everything is separate from everything else, they are called krupanaha, miserable people, narrow-minded people, people of very little understanding, or unhappy people. And this is what he wants to convey. Really speaking, we have been dealing with so many Karikas. So, we don't need so much of explanation. Sada, all the time, bhedhe vicharatham, those who are convinced, those who believe that reality is what? That is separateness, differentiation, dvaitam, alone is real. What happens to such people? Vaisharatham vai na asthi. They do not have peace of mind because their understanding is wrong. Therefore, they are impure. They don't have any purity. Purity, peacefulness, happiness, wisdom are all synonymous terms. So, vaisaratham, vaisaradyam, that is purity, right understanding, wisdom. Na asthi vai, definitely it is not there for those who are following differentiation. And then, who are these people? Prithat padaha. So, they do not understand that there is Brahman, God is everywhere. A very funny thing is, if you ask any of these dualists, they are all dualists, including what we call even Ramanujacharya, not only Madhvacharya, Visishtadvaitins also, some sort of unity they admit. There is separation, differentiation in unity. Like the body is one, but different limbs of the body, each one can be known separately. This is a hand, this is a leg, this is an eye, this is an ear, etc., etc. What happens to them? Prithat padaha, they are convinced, this is real. What is real? Differentiation is real. And then, bheda nimnaha, they remain in that state only.

So, Gaudapadacharya, taking a clue from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, calls them "tasmat." Therefore, such kind of people who not only believe themselves but try to inject their idea of differentiation, dvaitam, reality on everybody else, come forth to argue, even the Advaitins, etc. Kripanaha smutaha, they are aptly called Kripanaha. Kripanaha means a miserable fellow, an unhappy fellow. Why is there unhappiness? Because there is a deep meaning here. Just to recollect, this Mandukya Upanishad is all about purity, oneness, non-differentiation from the very beginning. Even though it is one of the shortest Upanishads, having only 12 mantras, it is the most profound Upanishad. So, Muktika Upanishad tells us that there are 108 Upanishads. And if anybody studies this Mandukya Upanishad, of course along with the Karika of Gaudapadacharya, as well as the commentary of Shankaracharya, "Alam," it is more than enough. This word "Alam" is a very beautiful word. So, Swami Vivekananda also uses it. So, whether it is Bhakti, Bhakti Marga, Jnana Marga, or Karma Marga, "Gacchanti Alam" is more than sufficient to take a person where? To reach the goal. What is that goal? Brahman is the goal. To know Brahman, to know that I am Brahman is more than sufficient. Each one of the paths is more than sufficient. We don't need three paths. We don't need four paths. We just need any one of them. Not only one of them, but any one of them is more than sufficient to take us to God Realization. So, Gaudapadacharya must have been remembering the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, especially the teaching of Yajnavalkya to Maitreyi, which I am going to quote, that this word Kripanaha means very miserable people.

Why is it so? Pure psychology. If I think there is somebody other than me, consider how many murders take place in families. Husbands are murdered, wives are murdered, brothers are murdered. If you study the history of the Mughals from the 16th century to the 18th century, about 250 years of horrible rule by these Mughals, you'll understand. But we can say that it is God's will and we deserve it because of our own Karmaphala. Even now, we deserve it. Everybody looks down upon India for a simple reason: no one Indian ever agrees with another Indian. We are all such loudly talkative fellows. "I am right. I am right. You are wrong. You are wrong." Anyway, a person is miserable because all problems arise only when there is a second. If there is a tiger, problems are there. Even if there is a mosquito, there is a problem. Anything that is second, have you ever noticed it? You are tired, you want to sleep, and you don't have a mosquito curtain at hand. The place is usually full of mosquitoes, but you don't find a single mosquito. And then what a great idea that there is no mosquito here. There is no second except me. What peace it gives. But if you are thinking, even if there is one mosquito, you are called Kripana. You are such a miserable fellow because mosquitoes are the greatest. They will sing relaxing music in your ears. You have to thank them before they suck your blood. They will entertain you with beautiful music.

What is Vaisaradhyam? Peace of mind. Peace of mind comes from within, from Prasada. When the mind becomes absolutely calm and serene, joy will spontaneously emerge. That is why a person in deep sleep achieves a sort of Advaita. It gives such rest, such happiness for everybody. However, in the waking state, even in the dream state, a person is very narrow-minded. Therefore, "Tasmate Kripanaha Smritaha." And we are not talking about other people; we are talking about ourselves. That is why Shankara comments very aptly. Those who have realized the truth regarding the ultimate reality are alone free from narrowness. Others are very narrow-minded. Narrow-mindedness is described in this verse as being drowned in the idea of separation, those who believe and stick to the idea of separation, Dvaitavada. They not only believe in it, but they assert it, wanting to convert others as well. These are dualists, and they deserve to be called narrow-minded. Without going into arguments, what we need to understand is those who do not identify themselves, those who do not see union, they only see separation, are the most unhappy people. Even to feel sympathy, there is a feeling of oneness with the other person's condition, empathy. That means separation. I am not suffering; only this person is suffering, or I am suffering; this person is not suffering. This is called Kripanatma, narrow-mindedness. They never realize the natural purity of Atman because everybody is Atman. Anyone who thinks you are not an Atman, and who can think others are not the Atman? Only a person who knows I am not the Atman. The same knowledge applies if I am Atman. Everybody is an Atman. If I am not an Atman, then everybody is also a non-Atman. But the simple idea, if you ask even the most ignorant person, "What is your idea of God? Where is God?" What comes the answer? He is everywhere. And does God have any death? No. Does God change? No. So, He is always the same. Ajah unborn. Nityah unchanging. Anantah infinite. This is the idea. Every day we are practicing it. You bow down to Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupati and then come back home and bow down in your own puja room. You don't think there is any difference between that Venkateshwara and this Venkateshwara because you have the correct idea. God is everywhere. If God is everywhere, if that statement is understood properly, then who is the other person? Who is the other object? Every object is nothing but God only, including myself. Even I do not exist because everything is God. And this is what Brihadaranyaka Upanishad teaches.

Based upon that, Gaudapadacharya has summarized it here. This is the sentence: "Whoever, O Gargi, without knowing that Akshara, the imperishable, Brahma, offers oblations in this world, performs sacrifices, and does penance, tapasya, for a thousand years, his work will have an end. Karma will come to an end. Whosoever, O Gargi, without knowing this Akshara, departs from this world, such a person is indeed narrow-minded. But he, O Gargi, who departs this world, knowing this Akshara, is a true Brahmana." This excerpt is from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, from the third chapter.

Without realizing, if one dies, he is indeed a miserable person because he is going to be reborn, and we don't know in what species he is going to be reborn. On the other hand, whoever realizes this Brahman, realizing means what? "I am Brahman." And whoever goes is called a Brahmana. Who is a Brahmana? He who knows "I am Brahman," he is a Brahmana. This is the essence of what we discussed in our last class, the 94th Karika. Now, let's move to the 95th.

अजे साम्ये तु ये केचिद्भविष्यन्ति सुनिश्चिताः ।

ते हि लोके महाज्ञानास्तच्च लोको न गाहते ॥ ९५ ॥

aje sāmye tu ye kecidbhaviṣyanti suniścitāḥ |

te hi loke mahājñānāstacca loko na gāhate || 95 ||

95. They alone are said to be of the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the Seif unborn and ever the same. This, ordinary men cannot understand.

And the same ideas apply. On the contrary, who is not a Kripana? Who is really a Jnani, a wise person, an ever-happy person? That is being said here. I remember a very beautiful analogy by Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna entered into Nirvikalpa Samadhi so many times, and then he wanted to train Narendra, his beloved disciple, to become what is called Purna Jnani.

It's crucial to note that Sri Ramakrishna wants him to be an Advaitin. We have to be very careful. Advaita is a Marga. But Advaita also means Brahman. Another name for Brahman is Advaita. We have to be careful to separate. One can become Brahman. But for that, one can follow Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Raja Yoga, Jnana Yoga, any path—Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, any Ism, or no Ism also. If somebody is very sincere.

Sri Ramakrishna says, if somebody is longing to visit Jagannatha and has started towards the North, whereas Puri is towards the South, seeing his earnestness, God comes in the form of a guide and says, "My good man, where are you going? I am going to visit Puri Jagannatha." "Oh, you have made a mistake. So you have to go the other way, not travel towards the North." And immediately, the person turns. And then he reaches very soon. Don't think again, "Oh, he will travel in the wrong path for a long distance. And then he will come to the right road." And then he has wasted a lot of time. No, no. He will come because if he is provided with Shraddha, then he will come very soon. But if he is not provided with Shraddha, then his Shraddha will be made very soon.

So, the 95th Karika is a glory. Earlier, he criticized people, and as I told you, criticism is only to praise the opposite thing. That is what he is doing. Who is doing? Gaudapadacharya in this 95th. "They alone are said to be of the highest wisdom, who are firm in their conviction of the Self, unborn and ever the same. But this knowledge ordinary man cannot understand, only temporarily." Remember Hinduism or Vedanta. We are all Vedantins. Not Advaita Vedantins. Vedantins means the followers of the teachings of the Vedas. Everybody, each soul, is potentially divine, and everybody has to manifest his nature. There is what in philosophical language they call a teleological urge. There is something within. You can't sleep for long. Even when you are terribly tired and then you want to sleep for several days, but your very nature will not allow you. As soon as sufficient rest is done, your very nature will wake you up. And this is called evolution. And it will work. Nobody can stop it. Nobody can hinder it. We ourselves might do that.

So, in the 95th Karika, what is it telling? "Eke chittu," those who, on the other hand. "Tu" means on the other hand. "Eke chittu," whosoever. "Aje samye sunishchitaha pavishyanti." So those who are firmly established. "Aje," in the unborn. "Samye," that means those who see the same Brahman. Not only within oneself, but everywhere. "Sunishchitaha." And this knowledge is permanent knowledge. It is not something. Another knowledge, anatma jnanam, is what we call upgradable. Scientists, 15th century, they discovered something. 16th century, they updated it. Even now, they are updating it. And they don't know where it is going to lead, when it is going to end. So this uploading, uploading, uploading. And we don't upload what is being uploaded.

So, that is being mentioned here. "Sunishchitaha." "Nishchitaha" means absolute definiteness. This word, "sunishchita," is also a very beautiful word. You are seeking something, you get it. Then you have a state of mind which is completely, here the word, Sanskrit word is very beautiful, that "chinta," oh what shall I do? I wanted to know that. I want to obtain this, but I am not able to know what to do, how to do, when to do. But once you get it, your mind becomes free from every other thought. That, not only temporarily, but permanently. That is called "sunishchitaha," that absolute certainty, "pavishyanti." Who? Those who understand that Brahman is unborn, and only Brahman exists and nothing else. That knowledge. But it is not something that I am also Brahman, and you are also Brahman, somebody else is also Brahman. No, no, no. There is no reality. It is to make people like us, ignorant people like us, to make us understand, yes, yes, you are Brahman, and what about my enemy? He is also Brahman. What? I thought that only I will be Brahman, and my enemy will go to hell. And the other side, no, no. Unfortunately, it is only your reflection. So, everything is nothing but Brahman. So, that is called unborn. You are never born. Differentiation comes only because of the birth. I am different. My parents are different. My brothers and sisters are different. My children are different. Of course, my wife is different. There is no doubt about it. So, no, Swami. Everybody is exactly the same. God. That is why when Prahlada was asked by his father, Hiranyakashipu, there is a very beautiful Telugu saying, "Indu galadu andhu ledani." So, God is here only. He is not elsewhere. Because if God is in one particular place, He cannot be anywhere else.

To speak of God here and there, above or below, left or right, this is completely an ignorant person's view. No. These people have realized, I am God. That is the only. If anybody says, I have seen God. That is good. But if anybody says, I am different. God is different. I am small. God is big. And I am very weak. God is very powerful. And so, out of His kindness, He came to me. I saw Him. And then, I asked Him. You gave me this and that and the other things. And He smiled at me. And then, He disappeared. He did not do anything to me. So, my misery remained absolutely the same. What is the use of this kind of thing? That fellow, you call God, has actually disturbed your sleep. Instead of giving his vision, if you had slept for 15 minutes more, you would have had more peace of mind than anything else. No. I don't see God. I am God. That is it. This is called Sunnisthita Bhavishyanti. And Gaudapada is praising them. And vice versa, by praising Jnanis, he is condemning Agnanis. What is the meaning of condemnation? Not that you go to hell. A Jnani will never say to an Agnani, you will go to hell. Because there is no hell. There is no heaven. You are also God. And in fact, there is no difference between you and me. I am a Jnani. You are an Agnani. I am a wise person. You are an otherwise wise person. These differences will vanish completely. And that knowledge, and that is the final knowledge, ultimate knowledge, not even penultimate knowledge. What is penultimate knowledge? This is called Brahmakaravrutti. I am there and I see God. That is called penultimate knowledge. These are called Loke Mahajnana. Maha means what? They have realized their true nature that there is only one and that is God. Nothing else. So, but this, the difference between an ignorant person and a wise person is so great. Lokaha. Here Loka means an ignorant person. Tat chana gahate. He will not understand. When? Temporarily. At this time. But each soul is potentially divine. He is going to also realize the same thing because everything is Brahman. There is nobody who is an Agnani. In the eyes of an Agnani, everything is Brahman. In the eyes of an Agnani, everything is non-Brahman. But, if the person who realizes his knowledge is real and true, then an Agnani must become an Agnani. There is no doubt about it. So, this is the essence of this. And Shankaracharya, in what is called resuccinct commentary, this knowledge of the supreme reality is incapable of being understood by an Agnani, poor intellect, by the unwise, by persons of small intellect. Kripana. That is what I said earlier. Who are outside the knowledge of Vedanta. That is being said in this verse. Those of you, even though they may be women or others, who are firm in their conviction of the nature of ultimate reality, which is unborn, undivided, they alone are possessors of highest wisdom.

See, here also, something we have to take note. Those few, at any given time, the people of Brahma Gnanis are very few. But, they may be men or women. It doesn't matter. Or others. What does Shankara mean? There is no distinction in Brahman. This is male. This is female. And this is a Hindu. And this is a Christian. Others means what? Everybody. Whether they are Christians, Muslims, believers, non-believers. That is why our faith in Varanasi is Shiva is going to give Mukti to everybody, every creature. And then we protest. I am a human being. I am a Hindu. I am a believer. He should give me. I have a right to be released. But why should he give to a non-believer or a mosquito? The fact is that in the eyes of Shiva, there is no other thing excepting Shiva. Shivoham Shivoham. Shivoham Shivoham. So I don't have the body. I don't have the mind. I am not a combination of the Pancha Bhutas, etc. So even for a student of Advaita, everything is Brahman. It is of course an intellectual knowledge. But Shiva, in the eyes of Shiva, that is Brahman. Shiva is another name for Brahman. Everything is Brahman. So does Shiva really give liberation? Not in the true sense. Because we are never bound. It is not that at some point of time we are bound and then Shiva comes out of his infinite mercy and then grants us. Now what he does is this ignorance that I am not Brahman. He wakes up from that. So just as a person who is deeply asleep or a person who is dreaming that a hungry man-eating tiger is about to attack me and finish me off and that person is going through hell. Even in dream also we can go to hell only. Or heaven also. So he will wake up. Don't scream. Just see everything is beautiful, nice. You are in your own house, in your own bed. You are absolutely secure, safe. That is what Shiva does. But you see, when children start having nightmares and start crying, the mother will put her hand on the back and wake the child up and he sees the mother and immediately feels I am safe in the hands of the mother. But it is only temporary. But when Shiva does the same thing, it will be permanent. So this is the praise of the wise people so they are completely convinced that I am divine, I am Brahman, I am Shiva. That is being explained in this verse. So even this knowledge, there is no male, there is no female, there is no Hindu, there is a non-Hindu, there is no believer, there is no non-believer. Everybody is Brahman. Everything is Brahman actually. Samastam sarvam idam jagat Brahman only. Sarvam khalu idam Brahma Unborn, undivided. And such people, though they are few, alone are possessors of the highest wisdom. They alone know the absolute reality. But others, because their intellect is not purified, they are called a poor understanding, they are called otherwise people. But a time will come, they will also realize. This is what Hinduism believes in, spiritual evolution. The whole creation is nothing but first it has come from God, now inevitably it is going back to God. That process of coming from God is called involution. And the process of going back to our own house, our own mother, Divine Mother, that is called evolution. And evolution comes to an end when we reach home.

That is why Swamiji sang, "Mana chalo nijani ketani Samsar bheshe bidesheer bheshe Brahmo keno akarane." Samsara is called a foreign country, not our country. Bidesheer bheshe, you have come to a strange country and you are also dressed like that. That means you are thinking you are anatma, not atma. And you are wandering. Brahmo keno akarane. So you surrender yourself to a Guru. Guru is none other than crystal clear teaching of the scripture. And through that, one day you will progress and know that there is no Guru, there is no Sishya, everything is Brahman. Moving on to 96. "Ajeyasu ajam asankrantam Dharmeshu jnanam isyate Yathona kramate jnanam Asangam tena kirtitam." Pure consciousness, Shuddha chaitanya, is the essence of all the Jeevas. And who is the Jeeva? Completely, this pure consciousness. Therefore, just like pure consciousness, there is nobody who is born. And whoever thinks he is born is called a Jeevatma. Now, unlike Jeevatma, the Atman is unborn and admitted to be itself. Unborn and unrelated to any external object. What does it mean? It means if somebody is not born, that means the whole world is not born. There is the question of I am this person and you are that person. And another one is a third person. I am a male, you are female. I am wise, you are unwise. And I am rich, you are poor. Etc. etc. That differentiation will not be there at all. So, born means what? Born into Agnana. Birth means Agnana. That is why it is called Shat-Urmi. Asti jayate padhate parinamate pakshiyate. That is the process of complete annihilation. Whatever is born, this is a change. Birth is a change. Growth is a change. Old age is a change. Disease is a change. Decay is a change. Death is a change. These are all changes. That's why they are called waves. Means what? A dead something is going to be reborn. And that which is born is going to die until we attain to that knowledge I am birthless. So, knowledge is the essence of the Jeevas. That is to say, there is no Jeeva. I am pure consciousness. There is no Jeeva. There is only pure consciousness. And this pure consciousness is unborn. And since it is unborn, unrelated to any, there is no object besides it, external or even internal. This knowledge is proclaimed to be unconditioned knowledge as it is not related to any other object which really speaking doesn't exist. Ajayasu, Ajam, Asankrantam. So, this Aja, birthlessness, Ajam, Asankrantam. And Dharmeshu means Dharma. Here, peculiar word, we have to substitute it with the word Jeevas. Every Jeeva is pure Brahman. Each soul is divine. Only because since we don't know that, we are called potentially divine. And this knowledge that I am Brahman, it never gets contaminated by coming into contact. Therefore, it is highly praised as what? Asangam, unattached. Sometimes our scriptures give the example of Akasha. Akasha means what? So subtle. Nothing can contaminate it. But what do we say? You lie down on a cot and look at the sky. You see various chariots, men, women, gods, and fighting between gods and demons like in cinema. So, you can imagine anything there. This is called Gandharva Nagara.

So, we used to see that. I also did that. I used to sleep at noon time after food and go on looking. Because of the wind, the clouds are moving. And they assume, not that they assume, I assume that they are assuming the forms of chariots because these stories in Chandamama, how gods are moving in the rathas. "Oh, Indra is coming here. For what purpose? God alone knows." Especially in this hot summer climate, He is coming down to this poor India when we are all suffering. But He never comes down. He understands from there. "Oh, it is very, very hot there. Better I go back." So, He drives away. Continuously it is going. Sometimes you also see at night plenty of thick black and what is called pale white clouds. And the moon is racing. The clouds are still. And it is a beautiful phenomenon. So, slowly it enters behind a black cloud. And then slowly the whole thing becomes not completely dark, but assumedly dark. And then you are watching carefully. And then slowly that cloud becomes illumined, shining. And then very soon in between two clouds the full moon or half moon, whatever it is, is coming. So, instead of saying the clouds are covering the moon, the moon is racing in the clouds. Go on staring at it. It is a very beautiful, enjoyable experience. I don't know the fellows who are sleeping in the flats and cities, they can ever understand what I am talking about. But take it for granted that it is a very enjoyable something.

अजेष्वजमसंक्रान्तं धर्मेषु ज्ञानमिष्यते ।

यतो न क्रमते ज्ञानमसंगं तेन कीर्तितम् ॥ ९६ ॥

ajeṣvajamasaṃkrāntaṃ dharmeṣu jñānamiṣyate |

yato na kramate jñānamasaṃgaṃ tena kīrtitam || 96 ||

96. Knowledge (consciousness), the essence of the Jīvas (who are unborn), is admitted to be itself unborn and unrelated (to any external object). This knowledge is proclaimed to be unconditioned as it is not related to any other object (which, really speaking, does not exist).

In this 96th Karika, what is Gaudapada driving at? This is what he wants to say: Ajati Vada. No Jeeva is ever born. But why are you teaching? Because you are thinking you are born. So, you are thinking I am also born. Since you are ignorant and I think I am ignorant in your eyes, so I have written this book to confuse you. Because what is the medicine for poison? Poison only. If a serpent bites you, you have to get some poison injection, and it is an antidote. These serpents are what is called grown-up. The factories are there, very virulent, poisonous, king cobras, etc. I don't know why only king cobra. Queen cobra also can be there, isn't it? Even baby cobras, prince cobras are very powerful. If once they bite you, if you don't have medicine, within a few minutes death is very certain. And there is one in Africa, it can rise to 6 and 7 feet all of a sudden and bite you in your face. That is called black mamba. Allah! Very, very virulent. And what poison it emits through its fangs can kill 100 people, sufficient to kill 100 people.

Oh! This is the most wonderful thing we have to understand. No Jeeva is there. Just as in the dream, nothing happened. Your friends you may see, enemies you may see and then you think, oh, it is sometimes pleasant, sometimes very unpleasant. But when you wake up, you say, it is all my imagination. And when a Jnani, when a Jnani wakes up, becomes a Jnani, and then it is only for our understanding, oh, I was dreaming. And this whole world, this is so poetically expressed in Vivekachudamani. And then the disciple, he becomes awakened. And then he says, what an asterium! Just one second back, there was this variegated, many-folded world. But within a second, it completely disappeared. I don't see it at all. Very beautiful, poetical, visual expression of what we call this beautiful idea. Nobody is really born. You don't go to America in your dream. But you can think you have gone and you behave as if you have gone there. And sometimes you can also dream you reached there, but the immigration officer rejected you. And then he says, I will put you back. What a horrible blow you will get. Then you wake up. He says, I know what will happen if I go there. There is no way Brahman can become a Jeeva. Because Brahman is unborn. And it doesn't have any contact with anybody. Not that it is born and it becomes wise and it realizes and then becomes Brahman. It is always the same. Every Jeeva, but instead of using the word Jeeva, Dharmeshu, Jnanam Ishyate. So every Dharma, every Jeeva is a person of pure Jnani only. This knowledge, I am Brahman. It never becomes attached, degraded. Therefore, Brahman is considered as Asangam Tenakirtitam. An important, very beautiful expression is Brahman is knowledge. Knowledge is not different from Brahman. So when you say he is a Brahman Jnani, as if he is a man of Brahman. He is having knowledge of Brahman. I am having knowledge of a tree, knowledge of physics, knowledge of chemistry. But I am different, knowledge is different because I might forget it. If I am, my brain doesn't function, nothing comes there. But the difference between this type of knowledge and Brahma Jnanam is Brahma Jnanam and Brahman, they are absolutely one and the same. Fire and its heating power and the power to light is exactly the same. Sunlight and its power to reveal objects are not two different things. Even though we say light of the sun or sun's light, really speaking, they are not two separate things. Sun is light, light is sun, fire is heat, heat is fire, etc. This is what Gaudapada wants to tell us.

Consciousness is never born, and we are thinking that we are born; that knowledge, I am a Jeeva and I go through the three states, and sometimes I am happy or unhappy. This is all nonsense. I am birthless, I am asanga, and I have never been born. That is the essence of this 96th verse. What constitutes the highest wisdom is explained here. Knowledge which constitutes the essence of all Jeevas. What is that knowledge? I am unborn, I am immutable, I am one with Brahman. Atman is admitted to be unborn and immutable. It is just like the light and the heat belonging to the sun. Knowledge being even related to every object is said to be unborn. As knowledge is thus unrelated to other objects, it is like Akasha, space, called unconditioned or absolute. That is called Brahma Jnana. We will talk in our next class. Just a few shlokas or Karikas are there.