Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 21 on 13 May 2023

So we are into the mantra number 15th of the 3rd chapter of the Shvetashvatara Upanishad. This mantra number 15th is telling PURUSHA EVA IDAM SARVAM YAD BHUTAM YATCHA BHAVYAM UTA AMRTASYA ISHANAH YAT ANENA ATIROHATI PURUSHA ALONE IS ALL THIS WHAT HAS BEEN AND WHAT WILL BE HE IS ALSO THE LORD OF IMMORTALITY AND WHATEVER GROWS BY FOOD A little bit of peculiar language PURUSHA EVA IDAM SARVAM ISHA VASYAM IDAM SARVAM YAT KINCHA JAGATYAM JAGAT WHATEVER WE SEE IN THIS WORLD IDAM SARVAM EVERYTHING IS NOTHING BUT PURE ISHWARA MANIFESTATION OF ISHWARA EVERY ORNAMENT THAT WE SEE IS NOTHING BUT PURE GOLD THEN YAD BHUTAM NOT ONLY WHAT WE ARE SEEING NOW BUT WHATEVER WAS AND FOR HOW LONG SRISTI ACCORDING TO VEDANTA IS ANADI THERE IS NO BEGINNING AND THEREFORE THERE WILL BE NO END FOR THE CREATION THEN WHAT ABOUT US WELL EACH SOUL BY HIS GRACE THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO COME IT IS POSSIBLE THAT EVERY SOUL CAN GET LIBERATION THAT IS WHAT IS LIBERATION JUST TO KNOW I WAS NEVER BOUND I WAS I AM AND I WILL BE FOREVER A WAY OF EXPRESSION I WILL BE ONLY BRAHMAN I AM BRAHMAN I HAVE NEVER DEVIATED FROM IT THAT IS WHAT IS MEANT YAD BHUTAM WHATEVER WAS YAD CHA BHAVYAM WHATEVER IS GOING TO HAPPEN BUT THAT ALSO ETC. WE HAVE TO USE WHATEVER WE SEE NOW NOT ONLY THE PAST NOT ONLY THE FUTURE BUT THE PRESENT ALSO EVERYTHING IS PURUSHA EVA IDAM SARVAM EVERYTHING IS THAT BRAHMAN THAT GOD UTA AMRU TATVASYA EESHANAHA MOREOVER UTA MEANS MOREOVER AND ALSO WHAT IS THAT PURUSHA THAT BRAHMAN THAT GOD IS EESHANAHA HE IS THE LORD HE IS THE GIVER HE IS THE BESTOWER OF WHAT AMRU TATVASYA IMMORTALITY THAT THIS PARTICULAR EXPRESSION MEANS THAT WE CAN ONLY SURRENDER OURSELVES TO HIM SURRENDERING REALLY MEANS THE CAPACITY TO RECEIVE FOR EXAMPLE WE WANT TO KEEP SOMETHING NEW IN OUR ALREADY OVER STUFFED ROOM WHAT DO WE DO WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE ROOM SO WHAT DO WE DO THE MORE WE EMPTY THE MORE WE ARE ABLE TO RECEIVE THAT IS CALLED SELF SURRENDER MEANS WHAT ALL THAT BELONGS WHATEVER IS ADDED ADDED AFTER AHAM AHAM IS BRAHMAN BUT WE ARE ALL JEEVATMA THAT MEANS WHAT BRAHMAN OR PURE CONSCIOUSNESS PLUS BODY PLUS MIND EVERYTHING IS CALLED KARA AHAM KARA THERE IS BHAGWAN'S AHAM OUR AHAM THERE IS NOTHING NO DIFFERENCE NO SEPARATION NOWHERE THAT IS GOING TO COME ALSO IN FUTURE WE WILL SEE ABOUT IT BUT WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT ONLY BRAHMAN EXISTS THAT IS BEING SAID HE IS THE LORD OF THE IMMORTALITY HE IS THE LORD OF THAT KNOWLEDGE WHAT KNOWLEDGE THAT THE WHAT BRAHMAN THAT IS WHY SWAMI JI HAD INITIATED PEOPLE BY HIS VERY UTTERANCE LIKE RAMANUJ ACHARYA VEDAH METAM PURUSHAM MAHANTAM YOU ARE ALL CHILDREN OF IMMORTAL BLISS AND WITHOUT KNOWING THIS FACT THAT YOU ARE CHILDREN OF IMMORTALITY ARE NOT CHILDREN OF LIKE MORTALITY A HUMAN BEING OR A DOG GIVES BIRTH BUT THE SEPARATION IS THERE FROM THE PARENTS TO THE OFFSPRING BUT AMRUTA SAYS SO A SMALL BIT OF RAY OF LIGHT IS PERCOLATING EVERYWHERE NOW THAT IS NOT GOING TO SEPARATE THE ORIGINAL LIGHT AND THE KANTI KIRANA THAT IS THE RAYS OF THE LIGHT THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE EVEN THOUGH IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE WE USE IT THE RAYS OF THE SUN SO HERE IS A MAN THE HANDS OF THE MAN THE HOUSE OF THE MAN THE PROPERTY OF MAN PROPERTY IS SEPARATE HOUSE IS SEPARATE HANDS ARE SEPARATE AND EVEN THOUGHTS ARE SEPARATE FROM THE MAN BUT THE MAN WILL NEVER REMAIN THE SAME BUT IT IS AN EXPRESSION WHAT IS THE SUN RAY IT IS LIGHT WHAT ARE THESE PROPERTIES ONE IS HEAT ANOTHER IS LIGHT WHAT IS THE SUN HEAT AND LIGHT WHAT IS THE RAY HEAT AND LIGHT IS AN EXPRESSION SUN'S RAYS RAYS OF THE SUN MOON'S RAYS A LIGHT OF THE MOON MOON LIGHT AND MOON THEY ARE NOT SEPARATE THEY ARE TWO WORDS BUT ONE SUBSTANCE AND THAT IS WHAT HE SAID AMRUTASYA PUTRAHA MEANS THE CHILDREN OF IMMORTALITY ARE IMMORTAL THAT MEANS LOVE OF GOD LOVE OF THAT THE FATHER AND THE CHILDREN I AND MY FATHER ARE ONE AND THIS KNOWLEDGE CANNOT BE GOT WITHOUT HIS GRACE ONLY HE HAS TO BESTOW HIS GRACE BUT WHEN IS HE GOING TO BESTOW HIS GRACE NOT THAT HE IS GOING TO BESTOW HIS GRACE HE IS EVER BESTOWING HIS GRACE THAT'S WHAT SR. RAM KRISHNA SAID THAT THE BREEZE SOUTHERN BREEZE THE BREEZE OF THE GRACE OF GOD IS ALWAYS BLOWING LIKE THE SOUTHERN BREEZE BUT YOU HAVE TO UNFURL YOURSELF THAT MEANS ALL OUR EFFORT IS TO EMPTY OURSELVES REMOVE THE KARA AND JUST RECEIVE THAT KNOWLEDGE AND EVEN THE WORD RECEIVING IS ONLY HUMAN WEAKNESS THERE IS NO RECEIVING THERE IS NO GIVING THE MOMENT I REMOVE I KNOW WHO I AM SO THAT IS CALLED SHARANAGATHI AND THAT IS WHAT SR. RAM KRISHNA ADVOCATED O MAN SURRENDER YOURSELF TO GOD BECAUSE ONLY GOD CAN REVEAL HIMSELF AND WHAT IS GOD'S REVELATION THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND ME WHAT DOES SHIVA DO HE WILL SAY TO EVERY JEEVA THAT GIVES UP THE BODY HERE BE IT OF MAN OF BELIEVER NON BELIEVER INSECT MICROCOSM YOU ARE SHIVA I AM SHIVA YOU ARE SHIVA IN FACT HE NEED NOT SAY ANYTHING BY HIS VERY PRESENCE HIS VERY PRESENCE IS THE GRACE AND EVERYTHING HAPPENS NOW A DOUBT MAY COME WHATEVER WE SEE THAT IS NOTHING BUT THIS WHOLE UNIVERSE IS NOTHING BUT GOD BUT WHAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HERE YAT ANNENA ATIROHATI HE TRANSCENDS ANNA WHAT IS THIS ANNA WHATEVER HE HAS EXPERIENCED IS ANNA AHRIYATE ITI ANNAM WHATEVER IS TAKEN IN THAT IS IN THIS WORLD OF MAYA WE DIVIDE OURSELVES LIKE WE DIVIDE OURSELVES IN THE DREAM STATE AS MYSELF AND THE WHOLE WORLD WHEN I WAKE UP I KNOW THERE CANNOT BE ANY DIVISION BECAUSE I THE WAKER AM ALONE THE EXPERIENCER AND THE EXPERIENCED SO WHATEVER IS EXPERIENCED IS JADA IT IS ALSO CALLED ANATMA NOT ATMA AND WHATEVER IS EXPERIENCED IS CHANGING WHATEVER IS EXPERIENCED IS SOMETHING CONCRETE SEPARATE BUT HOW CAN THERE BE ANY SEPARATION FROM GOD NOTHING CAN BE SEPARATED EVERYTHING IS GOD WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN WE LOOK AS RAM KRISHNA PUTS IT WHEN I LOOK AT BRAHMAN OR WHEN I EXPERIENCE BRAHMAN AS MYSELF I CALL HIM BRAHMAN AND WHEN I EXPERIENCE MYSELF THE WORLD THAT IS WHEN I LOOK THROUGH THE MIND THEN I CALL IT SHIKTI SO IT IS A POINT OF VIEW NOT FROM GOD THERE IS A NIRGUNA BRAHMA THERE IS A SAGUNA BRAHMA THESE ARE MISTAKEN NOTIONS BECAUSE OF OUR PROPERTY OF THE MIND MIND TELLS US EVERYTHING IS NOTHING BUT OUR THOUGHTS THAT IS WHY MIND MEANS LIMITATION MIND MEANS SUBJECT TO TIME SPACE AND CAUSATION SO THIS MANTRA IS TELLING US 15TH MANTRA THAT THE LORD HE TRANSCENDS HE IS THE TRANSCENDENTAL BRAHMAN AS WELL AS HE IS THE IMMANENT BRAHMAN THERE IS NOTHING OTHER THAN HE THE PURUSHA IS THE LORD OF THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE HE IS THE LORD OF IMMORTALITY AND ALSO THE BESTOWER OF IMMORTALITY BECAUSE UNLIKE THE MORTALS HE IS BEYOND THE CONCEPT OF TIME AND FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF BRAHMAN THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TIME BRAHMAN IS BEYOND TIME HE IS TIMELESS AND THAT IS WHAT IS CALLED AMRITA AMRITA MEANS CHANGE SO BRAHMAN NOW REVEALS ITSELF IN TWO ASPECTS COSMIC AND ACOSMIC THE COSMIC ASPECT PROJECTED BY MAYA IS NOW DESCRIBED JUST NOW I HAVE BEEN TELLING BRAHMAN IS DIVIDED INTO WITH ACTION WITHOUT ACTION WITHOUT ACTION BRAHMAN WHAT IS ACTION CREATION PRESERVATION AND WITHDRAWAL AND WHAT IS INACTION NOT DOING ANYTHING BOTH THESE PROCESSES IS ONLY THOUGHTS IN OUR MIND THERE IS NO SEPARATION OR DIVISION IN BRAHMAN ALL THESE ARE PROJECTED ONLY BY MAYA COSMIC MEANS WHATEVER IS CREATION CREATED ACOSMIC MEANS THAT WHICH IS THE MOLAKARANA THE CAUSE MAHAKARANA OF THIS FROM WHERE WHICH ONE WE ARE IMAGINING AS THIS WORLD BUT THIS COSMIC ASPECT PROJECTED BY MAYA AND WHAT IS THAT MAYA MIND WHAT IS MIND TIME SPACE AND CAUSATION THESE IDEAS WE MUST BE FAMILIAR BY NOW SO WE CAN QUICKLY GO THROUGH THEM SARVATAHA PANIPATAM TAT SARVATAHA AKSHI SIROMUKHAM SARVATAHA SHRUTIMALLOKE SARVAM AVRUTYA TISTHATI HIS HANDS AND FEET ARE EVERYWHERE HIS EYES HIS HEADS AND FACES ARE EVERYWHERE HIS EARS ARE EVERYWHERE HE EXISTS ENCOMPASSING ALL THERE IS NOT MUCH REALLY TO UNDERSTAND SARVATAHA PANIPATAM WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS NARAYANA SUKTHAM THE VERY FIRST ANUVAKA AND NARAYANA SUKTHAM HAS THIRTEEN ANUVAKAS THIRTEENTH IS AN EDITION REALLY SPEAKING IT IS ONLY TWELVE ANUVAKAS THE THIRTEENTH IS CALLED VISHNU GAYATHRI SO NARAYANAYA VIDMAHE VASUDIVAYA DHIMAHE TANNO VISHNU PRACHODAYAT AND THE VERY FIRST ANUVAKA SAHASRA SIRSHA PURUSHAHA SAHASRA AKSHAHA SAHASRA PATH SABHUMIM VISHVATO RITVA ATYA TISTHAT DASHA ANGULAM SAME IDEA IS REPRESENTED HERE SARVATAHA PANIPATAM WHATEVER YOU SEE YOU SEE A FEET YOU SEE A HAND YOU SEE AN EYE YOU SEE AN EAR EVERYTHING WHATEVER BODIES YOU SEE WHETHER IT IS LIVING OR NON-LIVING TAT SARVATAHA AKSHI SIROMUKHAM WHATEVER WE BEHOLD WHO IS IT THAT IS ONLY THAT PURUSHA SARVATAHA SHRUTIMAT SHRUTI MEANS EARS PANI MEANS HAND PADAM MEANS LEG AKSHI MEANS HAND SHIRO MEANS HEAD MUKHAM MEANS MOUTH SHRUTI MEANS EARS THAT MEANS THE WHOLE BODY SO SARVATAHA SHRUTIMALLOKE WHATEVER WE SEE IN OTHER WORDS IN WAKING AND IN DREAM ALSO SARVAM AARUTYA TISTHATI THAT MEANS HE ALONE IS ENCOMPASSING HE IS SARVA VYAAPAKA HE PERVADES EVERYTHING THE IDEA I HAVE EXPLAINED JUST AS GOLD PERVADES ALL THE PRODUCTS CALLED ORNAMENTS WOOD PERVADES ALL THE OBJECTS MADE OUT OF WOOD CALLED FURNITURE AND ANYTHING THAT IS MADE UP OF ANY METAL OR YOU CAN TAKE THE EXAMPLE OF CLAY ANY NUMBER OF THINGS THAT ARE MADE OUT OF CLAY THEY ARE NOTHING BUT ONLY CLAY SARVAM AARUTYA TISTHATI HIS HANDS AND FEET ARE EVERYWHERE HIS EYES, HEADS AND FACES ARE EVERYWHERE HIS EARS ARE EVERYWHERE HE EXISTS ENCOMPASSING ALL AND YOU SEE THIS BHAGVAD GITA IS ONLY AN ESSENCE THAT'S WHY SARVO PANISHADO GAVO DOGDHA GOPALANANDANAHA PARTHO VACCHA SUDHIRU BHOKTA DUGDHAM GITA AMRUTAM MAHA THIS BHAGVAD GITA IS NOTHING BUT SELECTED MANTRAS COLLECTED AND PUT IN A LITTLE MORE EASILY UNDERSTANDABLE WORDS NATU MAHAM SEE WE GET THIS VISHWARU PADARSHANA WE ARE TALKING HERE VISHWARU PADARSHANA AND IT IS THAT VISHWARU PADARSHANA IS GIVEN HERE SO ARJUNA HEARD FROM THE LORD I AM EVERYTHING EVERYTHING IS MY VIBHUTI KADHYAT VIBHUTIMAT SATYAM SRIMADURJITAM EVAVA TATA DEVA VAGACHYATVAM MAMA TEJO AMSHA SAMBHO WHEREVER YOU SEE ANY ORDINARY THING THAT IS ME BUT WHEREVER YOU SEE SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY THAT IS ALSO ME THERE IS NOTHING IN THIS WORLD WHICH IS NOT ME AND THEN ARJUNA EXPRESSES I WANT TO SEE YOU AND THEN THE DIVINE LORD SAYS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE WITH THESE EYES BECAUSE THESE EYES ARE AGNANA CHAKSHU NOT DIVYA CHAKSHU AGNANA CHAKSHU MEANS WHAT YOU SEE EVERYTHING EXCEPTING GOD OR YOU ARE SEEING ONLY GOD BUT YOU ARE THINKING THIS IS A TREE THIS IS NOT GOD THIS IS A COW THIS IS NOT GOD THIS IS A DOG THIS IS NOT GOD THIS IS A BRAHMANA THIS IS NOT GOD THIS IS AN EATER OF DOGS SO WHATEVER WE SEE MAN, WOMAN, MALE, FEMALE HUMAN, NON-HUMAN LIVING, NON-LIVING EVERYTHING WE SEE THAT IS WHY WE DISTINGUISH THIS IS A TREE IT'S MARVELOUS CONCEPT WHAT IS MAYA? DIFFERENTIATION AND THIS DIFFERENTIATION IS IN THE ATVAITHA VEDANTA REPRESENTED BY THREE WHAT WE CALL TECHNICAL JARGON WHAT IS IT? IT'S CALLED BHEDA THREE TYPES OF DIFFERENCES ONE IS CALLED VIJATIYA BHEDA HERE ARE TWO TREES HERE IS ONE MANGO TREE THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BUT I'LL COME TO THAT POINT ALSO THEN YOU SEE SAJATIYA HERE IS A BOTH ARE MANGO TREES ONLY BUT BOTH TREES THIS TREE IS HERE THAT TREE IS THERE AND THAT DIFFERENCE IS THERE THAT IS SMALL TREE THIS IS BIG TREE THIS IS CALLED SAJATIYA SAME SPECIES BELONGING TO THE SAME CATEGORY BUT WE DISTINGUISH THIS IS A BOUND BOOK THIS IS AN OPEN BOOK THIS IS A PAPER BAG AND THIS IS HARD BOUND AND THIS IS E-BOOK SO LIKE THAT YOU GO ON MAKING DISTINCTIONS SO LIKE THAT BUT THERE IS ANOTHER TYPE OF DIFFERENCE SWAGATA BHEDA THIS IS A MANGO TREE AND THE LEAVES ARE SEPARATE THE BRANCHES ARE SEPARATE THE BLOSSOMS ARE SEPARATE AND THEN THE FRUITS ARE SEPARATE THE BARK IS SEPARATE THE TRUNK IS SEPARATE THE ROOT IS SEPARATE EVERYTHING IS SEPARATE THIS IS CALLED SWAGATA BHEDA SO WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE MAYA IS NOTHING BUT SEPARATING ONE INDIVISIBLE BRAHMAN INTO FIRST OF ALL LIVING AND NON-LIVING THEN VARIOUS DISTINCTIONS OF SPECIES THIS IS MICROBES THESE ARE PLANTS THESE ARE BIRDS THESE ARE ANIMALS THESE ARE HIGHER SPECIES OF ANIMALS THESE ARE LOWER TYPE OF HUMANS THESE ARE HIGHER TYPE OF HUMANS AND AGAIN HUMANS ARE SEPARATED INTO FOUR CLASSES TAMO GUNA PRADHANA WHICH ARE CALLED SHUDRAS AND RAJO GUNA PRADHANA CALLED VAISHYAS AND HIGHER THAN THAT EVEN IN THAT RAJO GUNA THAT IS RAJO GUNA PLUS TAMO GUNA IS VAISHYA RAJO GUNA PLUS SATVA GUNA IS CALLED KSHATRIYA AND RAJO GUNA PLUS SATVA GUNA PLUS RAJO GUNA THAT IS CALLED BRAHMANA SO THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED MORE AND MORE MANIFESTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS THAT IS THE DIVISION SO THIS IS WHAT WE ARE SEEING AND THIS IS WHAT WE CALL WHAT IS THE CAUSE BECAUSE OF THE MIND HOW COME MIND IS MIND IS MAYA AND HOW DOES MAYA DIVIDE THERE ARE THREE KINDS OF DIVISIONS OR LIMITATIONS TIME LIMITATION SPACE LIMITATION OBJECT LIMITATION KALA PARICCHEDHA DESHA PARICCHEDHA AND VASTU PARICCHEDHA BUT ALL THESE ARE DONE BY MAYA AND THE WHOLE UNIVERSE IS NOTHING BUT MAYA I TOLD YOU MANY TIMES BUT I WILL NOT BE TIRED OF REPEATING THIS WORLD NOTHING BUT MY OWN BODY AND MIND BESIDES MY BODY AND MIND THERE IS NO WORLD IN CASE SOME NEWCOMERS ARE THERE THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO UNDERSTAND IT LOOK AT IT WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HAVE FIVE SENSE ORGANS SO FIVE ORGANS OF KNOWLEDGE FIVE ORGANS OF ACTION SO WHAT HAPPENS IF SOMEBODY IS BORN BLIND THIS WORLD CANNOT BE CALLED PRAPANCHA PANCHA WILL NOT BE THERE ONLY CHATUHU WILL BE THERE ONLY FOUR IF A PERSON IS BOTH BLIND AS WELL AS DEAF ONLY ONE TWO WHAT IS CALLED THREE FIFTHS OF THE WORLD SO EACH SENSE ORGAN NOT AT ALL FUNCTIONING ONE FIFTH OF THE WORLD IS CUT OFF IF BY CHANCE ALL THE FIVE SENSE ORGANS ARE CUT OFF THEN A WORLD DOESN'T EXIST DOES IT HAPPEN EVERY DAY NOT ONLY EVERY DAY EVERY MILLISECOND IN BETWEEN TWO THOUGHTS THINK OVER IT WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENS IT IS THE THOUGHT THOUGHT IS A FUNCTION OF THE MIND AND IT IS THE MIND WHICH IS MADE UP OF TIME SPACE AND CAUSATION WHAT SWAMI IVEKARANDA CALLS THE PRISM OF TIME SPACE AND CAUSATION AND WHEN THERE IS THIS DIVISION TIME SPACE AND CAUSATION WE SEE EVERYTHING THAT IS ONE INFINITE ETERNAL ADVITIYA WITHOUT A SECOND BRAHMAN AS MANY AND IF WE GO TO THIS DEEP SLEEP STATE THE WHOLE WORLD DISAPPEARS WHY MIND DISAPPEARS NOT PERMANENTLY BUT TEMPORARILY SO THEREFORE MIND IS NOT THERE AND THEN I AM IN THE ANANDAMAYA KOSHA BECAUSE THAT ANANDAMAYA KOSHA IS EQUATED WITH THE DEEP SLEEP STATE SUSHUKTI, KARANA SHARIRA AND THE PRAGNA THERE MARVELOUS THINGS SO O ARJUNA YOU HAVE NOT YET TRANSCENDED YOUR MIND AND WHATEVER YOU ARE SEEING THROUGH YOUR EYES IT IS ALL COMPLETELY LIMITED BY YOUR EYE THE MIND CAN SEE ONLY WHAT THE EYE REPRESENTS EAR REPRESENTS NOSE REPRESENTS TONGUE REPRESENTS AND THE SKIN REPRESENTS THAT IS ALL WHAT IS CALLED HUMAN PERSONALITY THEN WITH THIS EYE HOW CAN YOU SEE THAT UNIVERSAL FORM THAT IS WHY I AM PLEASED WITH YOU DIVYAM DADAMITHEJAKSHU PASYAME YOGA MAISHWARAM LOOK AT MY UNIVERSAL FORM I WILL GIVE YOU THAT MIND WHICH IS SHRI RAM KRISHNA USED TO CALL SHUDDHA BUDDHI AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE AND THEN SANJAYA IS DESCRIBING THAT MEANS SANJAYA ALSO HAD BEEN RECEIVING THE SAME GRACE LIKE ARJUNA WHAT WAS HE TELLING SO MAHA YOGESHWARO HARIHE PARTHAYA PARAMAM AISHWARAM ROOPAM DARSHAYA AMASA WHAT DID THE DIVINE LORD SHOW OR RATHER NOT THAT HE SHOWED BUT THE LORD WAS LIKE THAT ONLY IN THE FORM OF THE ENTIRE WORLD AND WHAT DID ARJUNA SAY ANEKA VAKTRANAYANAM AND SO MANY MOUTHS SO MANY EYES ANEKA ADBHUTHA DARSHANA AND INDESCRIBABLY DIVINE FORMS ANEKA DIVYA ABHARANA SO THAT ABHARANA WHICH THE LORD IS PUTTING ON IT WILL NEVER BE CONSTRAINED DIVYA ANEKA UDDHYATA AYUDHAM SO MANY WEAPONS HOW MANY AS MANY PEOPLE ARE THERE AYUDHA DOESN'T MEAN ONLY CHAKRAYUDHA GADAYUDHA SO EVEN A BEE HAS GOT A STING THAT IS AN AYUDHA AN ANT ALSO HAS GOT A STING THAT IS AN AYUDHA A MOSQUITO HAS GOT THAT SAME AYUDHA AND WE HAVE GOT HANDS AND FEET AYUDHA AND I HAVE HEARD ABOUT PEOPLE SO THERE IS A STORY THERE WAS A YOUNG MAN AND HE WAS CAUGHT A THIEVING AND THE KING PUNISHED HIM TO BE HANGED AND HE WAS BEING TAKEN IN A PROCESSION AND THIS FELLOW SAW HIS OWN MOTHER WEEPING SO HE CALLED HER NEAR HER MA I WANT TO TELL YOU SOMETHING PLEASE GIVE YOUR EARS AND HE BIT OFF HER EAR SHE CRIED IN PAIN MY SON WHY DID YOU DO IT YOU IDIOTIC MOTHER HAD YOU BEEN TAUGHT ME HAD YOU TAUGHT ME THAT IF I STEAL I WILL BE CAUGHT I WILL BE PUNISHED THEN I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN IN THIS STATE TODAY YOU ENCOURAGED ME AND NOW LOOK I AM LOSING MY OWN LIFE THAT IS WHY I THOUGHT I WILL TEACH YOU A LESSON IF YOU HAVE FUTURE CHILDREN THEN YOU TEACH THEM NOT TO DO CITING MY EXAMPLE THIS IS MY EDITION ACTUALLY IT IS NOT THERE IN THE ORIGINAL STORY ANYWAY WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT THAT WITH YOUR ORDINARY MIND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SEE EVERY BEING HAS GOT SOME WAY OF PROTECTING ITSELF THAT IS CALLED AYUDHA THEN DIVYA MALYA AMBARA DHARAM AND WE HAVE GOT DIVYA MALYA AND BEAUTIFUL GARLANDS AMBARA DHARAM AND THERE ARE PEOPLE WHAT IS CALLED EVERY BABY HAS GOT A BEAUTIFUL DRESS AND YOU KNOW WHAT WE CALL THE DRESS BIRTHDAY DRESS AND IT IS SO LOVELY THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO KISS DIVYA GANDHA ANULE PANAM SO BEAUTIFUL SANDAL PASTE IS COMING THAT MEANS ANYTHING THAT WE PUT UPON OUR BODIES IT CAN BE CREAM IT CAN BE POWDER IT CAN BE ANYTHING BUT SARVA ASCHARIYA MAYAM WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE DIVYA GANDHA BECAUSE ONLY ONCE IN A YEAR EVERYDAY YOU HAVE TO PUT ON AND IT WILL EAT YOU UP SARVA ASCHARIYA MAYAM DEVAM ANANTAM VISHWADHU THAT SAME IDEA IS COMING HERE WE HAVE SEEN SARVATAH PANIPADHAM TAT SARVATAH AKSHASHIRO MAKHAM SARVATAH SHRUTIMAR LOKE SARVAM AURIDHYATISTHIT WHAT DOES IT MEAN IT MEANS WHATEVER WE ARE EXPERIENCING IS NOTHING BUT BRAHMAN THE IDEA IS THAT BRAHMAN IS EVERYWHERE AND HE FILLS PERVADES EVERYTHING HE IS BEYOND TIME, SPACE AND CAUSALITY MANTRA NUMBER 17 NOW WE WILL HAVE A DOUBT HE IS EVERYWHERE AND HE IS GOD BUT THIS MANTRA IS ALSO REFLECTED IN THE BHAGWAD GITA WHICH MANTRA MANTRA NUMBER 7 SO IF YOU SAY GOD IS MANIFESTING AS THIS UNIVERSE AND WE ARE ALL THAT UNIVERSE AND WE GOT CAUGHT THAT MEANS GOD GETS CAUGHT UP IN HIS OWN CREATION LIKE A MOTHER WHO DEVELOPS TREMENDOUS ATTACHMENT TOWARDS HER BABY CHILD SO ALSO DOES GOD ALSO GET CAUGHT UP DO THE INDIVIDUAL'S PROBLEMS AFFECT THE LORD WOULD HE THEN NOT HAVE INCREDIBLE PROBLEMS BECAUSE EVERYONE OF EVERY JEEVAS, EVERY CREATED BEING'S PROBLEM IS ONLY GOD'S PROBLEM THIS IDEA IS BEAUTIFULLY EXPLORED IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF 13TH CHAPTER OF THE BHAGWAD GITA WHEN THE LORD SAYS I AM THE KSHETRAJNA IN ALL KSHETRAS ONE OF THE OPPONENT'S QUESTION IS IF THE LORD IS KSHETRAJNA IF YOU SAY HE IS ONLY ONE AND HOW MANY KSHETRAS INFINITE NUMBER OF KSHETRAS WHAT DO WE SEE ONE PERSON IS HAPPY ANOTHER PERSON IS UNHAPPY ONE PERSON IS YOUNG ANOTHER PERSON IS ABSOLUTELY OLD ONE IS HEALTHY ANOTHER IS VERY VERY UNHEALTHY SO ALL THESE REALITIES ARE GOING ON SO THAT MEANS GOD SUFFERS BECAUSE BY UNDERSTANDING THAT I AM BRAHMAN, YOU ARE BRAHMAN AND AS I AM, I AM SUFFERING AS YOU ARE, YOU ARE ALSO SOMETIMES SUFFERING, OF COURSE SOMETIMES ENJOYING, ALL THESE THINGS ARE THERE, DOES ISHWARA SUFFER SHANKRACHARYA BRILLIANT MIND I TELL YOU HE RAISES THIS POINT AND SAYS EITHER ISHWARA IS LIKE IF ISHWARA AND JEEVA ARE ONE AND THE SAME IF KSHETRAJNA AND ISHWARA ARE ONE AND THE SAME THAT MEANS WHAT EITHER KSHETRAJNA DOESN'T HAVE ANY SAMSARIC PROBLEM OR ISHWARA HAS EVERY SAMSARIC PROBLEM CONCEIVABLE AND A BEAUTIFUL DISCUSSION FOLLOWS WHAT IS IT THAT HE IS PLAYING WITH HIMSELF AND THE ONLY ILLUSTRATION I CAN GIVE YOU, APT ILLUSTRATION WHEN SUPPOSING WE OURSELVES HAVE ACTED AS ACTORS IN A CINEMA AND PREVIEW BEFORE IT IS RELEASED FOR PUBLIC, WE ARE WITNESSING THE SAME THING AND WHAT IS HAPPENING THERE WE CAN SEE OURSELVES ACTING AND WE ARE SITTING SIDE BY SIDE DIFFERENT ACTORS, ACTRESSES AND WE CONGRATULATE THE HERO IS SUPPOSED TO BE CELEBRATED PERSON AND THE HERO PUT UP A CASTRILE FACE AND HE IS ADDRESSING THE VILLAIN THE ACTOR SAYS MY GOD HOW MARVELOUSLY YOU ACTED THERE WHERE I COULD NOT DO JUSTICE TO MY OWN JOB SO THAT VILLAIN IS ALSO CONSOLING YES YES YOU SHOULD HAVE SHOWN A LITTLE MORE ANGRIER FACE BUT PROBABLY YOU ARE THINKING OF A COMING HOLIDAY WHICH YOU MENTIONED ABOUT IT SO YOUR FACE COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED THAT ETC ETC ETC HOW DO YOU DO HOW DO YOU WATCH THAT CINEMA YOU ARE WATCHING EVERYTHING FIGHTING IS GOING ON WEEPING IS GOING ON LAUGHING IS GOING ON MARRIAGE IS GOING ON DIVORCE IS ALSO GOING ON BUT YOU ARE COMPLETELY ENJOYING EVERYTHING BUT YOU KNOW THAT IT IS A IT IS ONLY AN APPEARANCE IT IS ONLY A MAKE BELIEVE MAKE BELIEVE IT IS NOT REAL THIS IS CALLED LEELA AND GOD'S LEELA IS THERE WHAT IS GOD'S LEELA PART OF GOD'S LEELA IS TO THINK OH I AM A MISERABLE JEEVA I AM SUFFERING AND I NEED A GURU AND THEN YOU ATTEND SWAMI DAYATMANANDA'S CLASS AND THIS SHWETA SHWETA UPANISHAD IS TELLING THAT EVERYTHING IS ONLY GOD THAT IS WHAT IS SAID SO THE OBJECTION WHAT IS THE OBJECTION SO DOES HE WHEN HE IS ACTING WE ACQUIRE OUR KNOWLEDGE GOOD OR BAD THROUGH OUR SENSE ORGANS DOES HE REQUIRE DOES GOD ALSO REQUIRE AND THIS 17TH MANTRA SAYS NO HE DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT IS CALLED INTUITION AND WHY GOD DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT'S WHAT I AM GOING TO EXPLAIN WE ARE GOING TO EXPLORE TOGETHER SO HE SAYS THE BODY ORGANS OF PERCEPTION AND ACTION ETC ARE SUPERIMPOSED UPON BRAHMAN THROUGH MAYA HE IS REALLY DEVOID OF THEM SARVENDRIYA GUNA BHASAM SARVENDRIYA VIVARJITAM SARVASYA PRABHUM EESHANAM SARVASYA SHARANAM SUHURU SARVASYA PRABHUM EESHANAM SARVASYA SHARANAM SUHURU BEAUTIFUL DESCRIPTION UPASANA MEDITATION OF THAT DIVINE LORD WHO IS NORMALLY CONSIDERED AS A CREATOR, MAINTAINER AND WITHDRAWER OR WHAT I PREFER TO CALL RECYCLER SARVA INDRIYA GUNA ABHASAM HIMSELF DEVOID OF SENSES HE SHINES THROUGH THE FUNCTIONS OF THE SENSES HE IS THE CAPABLE RULER OF ALL HE IS THE REFUGE OF ALL AND HE IS GREAT so first I will deal with the second line of this mantra SARVASYA PRABHUHU HE IS THE LORD OF EVERYBODY why? like the clay is the lord of every pot that is made wood is the lord lord means what? it is what makes every furniture really appear to us there is no difference between the furniture and the wood excepting wood is what we call NAMA RUPA VIVARJITA DEVOID OF FORM AND NAME AND UTILITY whereas every piece of furniture a chair is for sitting a table is for keeping something a roof is for protecting me from inclement weather a floor is so that I can sleep now and then my daughters can live so various functions are there I have seen this one you know so in the west usually they protect their own trees but they destroy these trees of what is called South Africa South America India, teak wood etc they will export there and they will polish it the floor because some people cannot bear the carpets etc they polish it so well I have heard of innumerable people slipping and then breaking their bones and when I asked somebody replied well Swami I have money the doctor is struggling and he has to live and I also have to live so I sleep now and then so I can serve the doctor to the best of my ability so this is a beautiful piece of advice as sick as possible so that the doctors can become super rich what they call in America stinking rich ok so what are we talking about God doesn't require any sense organs but without him no sense organ will ever function he shines through the functions of every sense organ he is the only capable ruler of all the refuge of all and he is great first I will deal with this he is the what is called Sukrut he is the best well wisher of every one of us so really speaking he is a selfish fellow Brahman is selfish because who are we him only so he is wishing well to all of us is like we wish well of only ourselves and whatever happens your friends in your dream you wish them well and you want to destroy your enemies in the dream that is also because you want to be happy so the Lord has created exact replica in the waking state of whatever we experience in the dream state some are friends some are enemies some are good, some are evil and when somebody asked Ram Krishna he will reply unless there is Jatila and Kutila the drama will not be enjoyed drama cannot be enjoyable there must be contrast there must be tragedy there must be comedy and he is absolutely right from the mouth of Ram Krishna these are not ordinary teachings he is telling the Divine Mother or Parabrahman what is he doing this is called Leela to represent this aspect of Leela Hindus have imagined Sri Ranganatha Lord as Ranganatha Ranga means a stage for performing dance, music dramas etc called Natamandira Nata means for acting and he is the Lord that means what he is the producer he is the script writer he is the actor, he is the coach he is the audience, he is the stage he is the light he is everything so why did he create? for Leela, so he pretends I can't see without my eye I can't hear without my ear I can't grab something without my hands I cannot move without my legs etc, etc, etc so it is said every organ is capable of functioning only because of that Divine Power this is beautifully illustrated which we have studied in the third chapter of the Kena Upanishad where Indra Agni, Vayu became very proud that they had won the battle and especially these are the three leaders, then the Divine out of sheer grace wanted to teach them because they are good people but mistaken people, ignorant people so appeared as Yaksha, they got frightened and then they wanted to know because anything unknown can create fear within us, so there is a beautiful Vedanta, Vedantic story also to illustrate this one once a man was going in a village, it became dark and then that village had a temple and the temple usually temples will have many temples will have a big elephant for all the functions etc so this man was going and usually the elephant is tied, it comes out only at particular times and it is usually kept in the elephant hall where it is kept safely bound with chains but this fellow saw a huge huge elephant and he also thought it was looking at him he got frightened and his heart was beating very fast, unfortunately somebody was going that way and then he said why did you stop, why are you not going to the temple and then the man said look that elephant looks dangerous, it is even swaying its trunk I cannot approach it the man laughed and said I am going, come with me, have confidence in me, caught hold of his hand took and even though they are approaching near gradually they are seeing first the motion of the elephant stopped and then as they approached as if it is carved out of wood and then the man the guru here said touch it and this man touched it, it is an elephant but a wooden elephant, it is not real elephant, very famous story in the Vedantic circles so just as this person when he came to know all fear has gone and the effects of Agnana it is the Agnana that made him mistake a wooden elephant as a live elephant it is Agnana which produced tremendous amount of fear, Agnana produces fear, when the same Agnana is removed the fear consequence also will be removed, what is the connection between what I am talking and this one, that each one of us, we think the eye is capable of seeing and the mind is capable of thinking the ear is capable of hearing, no sir it is impossible because sarva indriya guna avasam how does the eye for example see it is only a window what does this window do the mind endowed with consciousness goes out through this window like old time even now the camera, you flick a camera, even your mobile phone so like that the mind goes and takes the picture and through that comes out and it carries through the cirrus we have seen in Narayana Suktam the information is carried I see a tree and then the mind decides what tree is it is it useful, is it poisonous what can I do all these thoughts, then it presents this information to the buddhi so what am I talking about it is not really the eye it is that which is behind the eye supposing there is no light, will the eye function suppose there is no akasha, will the ear hear it, so every sense organ requires a special light and that light may be akasha light may be what is called the sunlight or it can be the granendriya requires another type of light, light means that which gives us knowledge so every sense organ requires a medium but even then it is only information, but to make meaning out of it, who can make a conscious person or an unconscious person ultimately that atman shining in the form of knowledge, that is the only one which brings in knowledge, which makes everything work, the body, the mind, the entire world that is being indicated sarva indriya guna abhasa whatever indriya is functioning and abhasa means divine light, that light of the atman shines, without that it is impossible for us to gain knowledge, sarva indriya ivarjitam and that divine is completely bereft of indriyas but he is sarvasya prabhu ho he rules everything means he is only the perceiver, he is only the knowledgeable person he is only the enjoyer, he is the annam, he is the bhokta and besides him nothing is there how do we understand when we dream we say that we are hungry and then food is available and we eat oh this food is wonderful thank you very much and then we wake up, then we understand who was the hungry person me, what was the food, me who was eating, me everything is me the subject is me the object is me, everything is me, this is called sarvasya prabhu ho, that means with accepting him no other exists, ishanam he is the ruler, ruler means what, only because of his manifestation in the form of your knowledge, we are able to experience, enjoy everything and if we want to understand him sarvasya suhrut he is the well wisher god cannot wish ill, that is why in the Ramakrishna order the third hymn that we sing generally in most of the ashramas sarva mangala mangalye, so this word sarva has a very very special meaning what is the sarva, mangala means auspiciousness and who is the source of this auspiciousness the divine mother mangalye, I am addressing her oh mother you are mangalye you are the embodiment of auspiciousness and auspiciousness mangala but sarva means every type of auspiciousness not only every type of auspiciousness but everybody, now war is going on and there are friends, so each country regards the other as the enemies and each country regards some other countries as friends so these friends and enemies who support them, who supply them and who sustain them, they are friends and those who destroy try to take away they are the enemies, all these things, so this is our limited view but when we are talking about the divine lord where is that divine lord he is Russia, he is Ukraine, everything in Russia is he, everything in Ukraine is he and who is fighting with whom himself, this is a marvellous idea we have to understand clearly I do not exist, you do not exist only the divine lord is sporting with himself, that is called leela, what is leela the divine lord playing a solitaire game with himself that is called leela, so sarvasya suhrut he wishes, so what about a person who gives me so much of pain does God really wish well of him that is our view he should not, but what is God's view because oh fellow why are you suffering because you did something wrong in your life, in this life or past life this is called karma phala and who is God, karma phala vidhata, and how does he do it, through the instrumentality of the other person with whom we choose to call an enemy so there is no enemy if I don't deserve it, I won't get either happiness or unhappiness, so that is the nature of the lord, there is no enemy, so the divine mother everybody is her child and a mother cannot wish ill of some children and well of some children so this divine mother also will never do anything that, but then he is trying to do good are we allowing the divine lord to do allow him to do good to us, no we are not doing it how is he doing good so Sri Ramakrishna's advice is God's advice, how we should live, Swami Vivekananda's inspiring it is, we all go on praising Swami Vivekananda we worship him, we adore him, he is none other than Shiva, but when it comes to practice, we don't do it the lord says what you claim to be as a devotee as a spiritual person, I don't care, in fact you also your own mind will not care, your mind is telling to yourself and your mind is me, I am telling to you, I am addressing you through your mind, you stupid fellow, you are mistaking yourself as a great person, if you are great, in any way why are you so sad why are you so unhappy why any Tom, Dick and Harry can unravel you can disturb you can unhinge you unbalance you what type of mind you have got, so that is the point that he wants to bestow his grace, but we are not allowing him, that is why, what is the way, sarvasya sharanam, so we have to take, refuse in him, there is no other way and that is the only way, he will manifest I must go and that I must come when I goes, I will come, what am I talking about, in this agnana I, avidya I goes, then vidya I come, what is vidya I naham naham, in the words of Sri Ramakrishna naham naham, tuhu tuhu, now the beginning of this mantra I raised an important point what is that point, that how does God know, does he require any indriyas, any medium no he doesn't require, why because there is nothing different from him, when my hand, do I want to know about my hand, no because my hand is already present here I know my hand, God is everywhere, God is everything he is everything, so he is the knowledge of everything then what does he need what for, even in sleep, even in tremendous darkness you are functioning, I am functioning how, in darkness, I am sleeping suddenly something bites me or stings me, automatically my hand goes, I don't need any indriya I do automatically and I feel like twitching my nose, do I need light because I know I am this and where is my hand, here and where is my nose, here and I know that my hand knows so this is called sarva sarvatra, vishnu purushaha, purushaha means purayatit purushaha ishanaha, ishvaraha, he exists everywhere, therefore he doesn't require any help indriya is required only to know something which is different from me and God is everything he knows everything I am, in fact there are not many things, therefore he doesn't require, funny thing also you know, supposing you want to know so what is the best sweet because you are not sweet, first become sweet, so you want to enjoy sweet, so you have to have knowledge but supposing you are the sweet do you want to know, where are you going to search, so nobody searches for what one is everybody searches but that's not the point, what is the point, I want to eat a sweet why, I am not happy and I want to be happy, so I want to eat a sweet and after eating sweet, for a billy second, I am quite happy how do I know, I forget time, space and causation but here is something most marvelous thing what is God, paramananda swaroopa, he cannot have happiness, he is happiness, he himself is sat, chit and ananda therefore, when a person is ananda, do you think he is going to seek ananda if a person is a billionaire do you think he hears no, that place if I go some pennies are donated there, do you think the billionaire wants to run and get some more these things, I think there will be some foolish people like that but normally people will not even think about it they don't even know how much money they are making just by having the money the money becomes a machine to produce money what am I talking the paramananda swaroopa sat chit ananda swaroopa, brahmananda swaroopa, God what for he wants to know because he is everything all anandas belong to him in fact not belongs to him but he is ananda swaroopa he lends this ananda to people like us as if, not really so that is why it is said that knowledge if I can get, I don't need to this body, I don't need this mind what for body and mind are given so that I can be in this samsara why is this samsara given so that it works like a mirror and I can know oh, you are not a jivatma you are paramatma this is the meaning that everything is illumined by him even the eyes etc are illumined by him but he himself doesn't have any division that this is my hand, this is my foot etc and he is the lord of everything and he is the refuge of everybody and he will never refuse if anybody comes to take refuge in him he will not refuse anybody because he is his own greatest friend that is reflected in the 17th mantra and tomorrow we will conclude and I will give a summary of this 3rd chapter of the Upanishad