Mandukya Karika Lecture 089 on 08 February 2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYO SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUR OM BADRAM KANNE BISHRUNAYAM DEVAH BADRAM PASHYAM AKSHABHIRYA JATRAH STHIRAY RANGAYE STHUSHTU VAGUM SASTANUBHYE VYASHAYE MADEVAHITAYADAYO SWASTHINA INDRO VRIDDHA SHRAVAHA SWASTHINA POSHA BISHWA VEDAHA SWASTHINA STARKSHYO ARISTA NIME SWASTHINO BRHASPATIR DADHATO OM SHAMTI SHAMTI SHAMTI HARE OM OM Oh Gods, may we always hear with our ears what is auspicious. Oh worshipful ones, may we with our eyes always see what is auspicious. May we live our allotted life, hail and hearty, offering our praises unto Thee. May Indra of ancient fame bestow auspiciousness on all of us. May the all-nourishing potion be propitious to all of us. May Garuda, the destroyer of all evil, be well disposed towards all of us. May Brihaspati ensure all our welfare. OM Peace, peace, peace be unto all. We are studying the second chapter of the Mandukya Kharikas. And this chapter has got 38 Kharikas or Shlokas, explanatory verses of the Mandukya Upanishad according to pure Advaita Vedanta. Now, we have come to the verse where the explanation of the very name of the chapter, Vaithathya. Vaithathya means it is something else. We mistake it as something else. It is what we call Mithya. But yet, even though we are using the word Mithya, it is not Mithya until we know Satyam. Just as when we are experiencing a snake, until light is brought out and then the rope is revealed, which is the Satyam, which is the Adhishtanam of the snake. The idea of snake, that it is unreal, will not go. That is why when a teacher teaches that this is Mithya, we have to go by faith. But after hearing, we have to think, how come my experience is diametrically opposite to what my Guru? My Guru means all the Rishis, realized souls still, and then I have to come. We have to start to understand it, not as Mithya, but by defining it in understandable language. What is Mithya? That which is ever-changing, that which is external, that which comes and goes, that which depends upon me, the Sakshi, the observer, that is called Mithya. But a great truth has to be kept in mind, Mithya or what is seemingly real can never be seemingly real until it is based upon some truth. When we say mistake, we miss the truth and take it as something else. That is why even in English language, certain words are there like dis-ease, dis-ease, so mistake, mistake. Unless we know the truth, whatever we are experiencing, that would be the truth. So Gaudapada's time, which is nearly probably 1600 or 1700 years earlier, Shankara himself was in the 8th century. His Guru was Govindapada and his Guru was Gaudapada, at least there must be 60-70 years earlier to Shankaracharya. There were so many opinions. What opinions are we talking about? Concepts of reality. So in the 20th verse or Karika, Gaudapada said, I am going to outline a few of them, not all of them. And how many he outlined? 35 misconceptions from verse 20th to verse or Karika 28th. In 9 Karikas, 35 different types of concepts of reality, which some people choose to call confusions, confusing something for reality are being outlined. Now, who are those people? We should not think they are somebody else. They are our own selves. We ourselves are the people who are confused. I mentioned in my last class, I would like to reiterate it and emphasize it. What is it? When I am hungry, food is the only reality. When I am unable to breathe, air is the only reality. I don't say, Oh God, Oh Parabrahman, Oh Lakshmipati, Oh Govinda, Damodara, please come. Even if he comes and says, let us have a chat, we will kick him aside and say, let me live. Let me have some pure air, some air to breathe, pure or good or clean or foul or whatever it is. And let me get a little bit rested. So whatever is going to destroy us and if there is some remedy for that destruction, and that remedy is what we call Prana. That's why somebody rescued us. You are my God, we say. So different conceptions are there. And then only thing is we are changing all the time. When I am thirsty, water is my God. When I am hungry, food is my God. When I am tired, bed or rest is my God. At different times, we think of reality in different ways. And then we also react accordingly. And whatever we need at that moment for that length of time, that is the supreme reality. So all these confused people are not somebody out there, we ourselves. But our greatest confusion, as I mentioned earlier in my last class, can be divided into three parts. Either I am identified with my possessions or I am identified with my body, most likely both of them. And a few rare people are identified with the mind. They are called idealists, not people who ideal their time. Idealist means they are with higher ideals. An artist, for example, a scientist, for example, etc., their consciousness is much elevated. For them, their ideal is the supreme reality as far as they are concerned. Some people are highly moral people, for example, truthful people. What is the prana of the truthful people? It is truthfulness. For example, for Shudhiram, for Sri Ramakrishna, for people like them, truthfulness. They will never deviate because they consider deviation from truth is a deviation from satyam, reality. So they are ready to give up their even life. Even some patriots like Bhagat Singh, he gave up his life cheerfully, joyfully, knowing fully well. So for him, Desha Bhakti is the highest reality. For Swami Vivekananda, serving other people is the greatest reality. For Sri Ramakrishna, God realization is the highest reality. So don't think everybody is worrying about God realization. For most people, the first obstacle or reality is possessions. How do we know? When a person is ready to give up his life in order to save a little bit of his possession, either money or house or family or children, remember, all these are possessions. So that's why we use the sixth case. My family, my house, my car, my country, etc. And it is all based upon Dehatma Buddhi. And most of us are intensely stuck with this. And we can also make fun of Totapuri. His stomach ache caused him to think philosophically, my problem is my stomach and therefore if I get rid of my body, the stomach will be gotten rid of and I will be sitting in Brahmagna, nothing doing. Because the Divine Mother wanted to say there is nothing but reality. You have reached the roof and you must know everything as real. Body is real, mind is real and the entire physical world is real. Brahma Satyam, Jagat Satyam. That was the truth that came out of the mouth of Swami Turiyanandaji who passed away here. This is what Gaudapada wanted to point out in the 19th Karika. So many people, he only outlined 35 people. And from 20th onwards, there are different people. And we discussed already under 20, 21st. We will just mention so that the thread is connected. Prana iti prana vidaha, bhuta niti ca tad vidaha, gunaha iti guna vidaha, tattva niti ca tad vidaha. Some people know prana as Atman. Some people bhuta, means here pancha bhutas, they call them the highest reality. For some people, especially Sankhyans, this gunas, tri gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas are the highest reality, Prakruti. For some people, especially Shaiva Siddhanta, tattvas. That is Shiva is the Paramatma and we are all, He is Pashupati, we are all Pashus and His power of delusion is called Pasha. So these are the tattvas, that is a bit philosophically. The next karika, pada iti pada vidu, vishaya iti tad vidaha, loka iti loka vidaha, deva iti ca tad vidaha. There are some people, for them, this universe in which we live and which gives us three types of experiences, the waking, the dream and the deep sleep, this is called pada, that alone is the reality. That means this world is reality. That means my body, my mind, my personality is the reality. And there are some people of these Dehatmavadins, vishaya iti, some people give up their life for the sake of objects, acquiring objects. Some people's prana, pancha pranas is completely reposed in acquiring things. Some people's pancha pranas are reposed in enjoying them. Some people's pancha pranas are reposed in protecting them. Some people's pancha pranas are reposed in trying to pass it on to whom they consider my family, etc. This is the second category. Loka iti loka vidaha, there are some people, Swarga Loka is there, Narka is there, Narka is to be avoided, Swarga is to be obtained. So they will think that Loka is true, Swarga is true, we want to go to Swarga Loka. And I heard many of the devotees of Sri Ram Krishna, when I asked them, making a little bit fun of them, Do you want God Realization? They said, My God Realization is we want to go to Ram Krishna Loka. And every Loka is a limitation. Ram Krishna, fine, is a first class doorway, royal doorway, but it is also a limitation. One should forget Rama and Krishna and then go to that which is obtainable only by the process of Neti Neti. Then there are people, they want to contemplate Indra, Chandra, Varuna, etc. And there are people who want to contemplate on Aksha, Rakshasa, Pishacha, that has been beautifully outlined in the Bhagavad Gita. They want Deva Vidho Yantihi, those who worship Me as God, they will attain to that. And there are some people whose Ishta Devata, the Bhuta, Preta, Pishacha, they want powers. So for them, it is like that. So Devaayati Chata Dvidaha. Then the next one that comes is also 22nd. Vedaayati Veda Vidho, Yajnaayati Chata Dvidaha, Bhoktaayati Bhoktru Vidhaha, Bhojyamati Chata Dvidaha. This is where we have to start in today's class. There are some people for them the highest reality is Vedas. Those knowing the Vedas call it the highest reality. Those acquainted with the sacrifices call reality as sacrifices. Those conversant with the enjoyer designated Brahman or Atman as the enjoyer. And those who identify the objects of enjoyment with Atman call it as such. Now mind you, if you want to become a philosopher, a dull fellow cannot become a philosopher. He must have a very sharp mind. But what we have to admire in these people is that they really believe that what they believe is the highest reality. What happens to them? Nobody will say, especially Hinduism will say that you fellows, you are all wrong, you are going to go to hell. No. It is fine. The moment you follow your path sincerely, God will come and then direct you to a higher and still higher and highest reality. This was what Ramakrishna wanted. As to understand, somebody started from Calcutta. His greatest desire is to have the Darshan of the Lord Jagannath at Puri. But he started walking towards the North. And then because of his sincerity, he must be inquiring, am I on the right way? And somebody said, no, my good man, you are taking a wrong pathway. You turn towards the South, Puri Jagannath. It lies towards the South. And he will reach the goal. So if provided we are sincere, we will also reach the goal. All of them, as I said, we are all of them, at different times, depending upon what we urgently need, we also fall into one or the other of these categories. So here there are some people, they say, what is the origin of the universe? Vedas. Vedas are eternal. Vedas are Apurushayas. So they really believe this entire world is created because of the Vedas. And Vedas, particularly in the first part of the Vedas, teach about Karmakanda. Karma means action. And if the action is good, we will go to higher Lokas and we will be happier people. And if the Karma happens to be evil, then we will go to suffering worlds. But according to Hinduism, there is no eternal heaven nor eternal hell. Another opportunity. As many opportunities as necessary will be given to each one of us, whether we believe in Hinduism or not. God, those who come from God cannot get destroyed. Everybody will be reaching Him only in the end. But at this moment, some people believe that everything has come from Vedas. Even they go to the extent of saying, we believe in the Vedas, but we don't believe in God. In fact, according to Hinduism, a definition of belief or faith is not faith in God, but faith in the eternal Vedas. Vedas are eternal. They are not human concoctions. They are eternal knowledge and it is the Vedas. Even Brahma, taking the help of the Vedas, has created this universe. It means that Brahma is like a grandmother or a farmer who takes different seeds and he prepares the field and he throws all the seeds into the earth. And then when water is given, every seed makes itself into its particular variety. So we are the Brahmas. What we call the Pauranic Brahma is nothing but just an instrument for us to manifest ourselves. This is what Sri Ramakrishna illustrates beautifully. A grandmother, she gathers at the end of the beginning of the summer season, all the seeds of different vegetables. And when the rainy season comes, by that time the seeds are mature and ready. And again, she removes all the rubble and rough things and cultivates the garden a little and throws all the seeds. She knows and then every seed becomes its own manifestation. Brinjals as brinjals and bottle gourds as bottle gourds, lemons as lemons, mangoes as mangoes, etc, etc. So some people say we don't require anything except the Vedas. There are other people in the Vedas, Karmakanda, there are Yajnas are there. Do you have a desire for money? Then you study, you recite the Sri Sukta. Do you want buddhi, intelligence? Then you recite Medha Sukta. Do you lack faith? You recite the Shuddha Sukta, etc. So Yajna iticha tadvidaha. Those who have tremendous faith, Yajnas will give me all that I need. That is my God realization I don't need. They are also partially right. But at the same time, though they are not completely right, but they are on the way. The point is they will not be left out, they will be progressing slowly. Bhokta iticha bhoktruvidaha. There are some people who consider, especially Sankhyas, Purusha is only an enjoyer. He doesn't do any activity. He is not what we call Karta, doer of any action. So the Prakruti does everything and Purusha enjoys everything. Obviously it is wrong because if I do something, I have to experience. If Prakruti does something, Prakruti has to experience, not Purusha. But this is what is their belief, that is fine. They have some belief and if they pursue their own faith, they will be progressing. And there are some people, I don't understand this enjoyership and all those things. All that I know is, if I have first class food and that is my life has become fortunate and I have become a fulfilled person, Krutakrutiaha, I am the luckiest person. So what do we call them? Kumbhakarnas, eat and sleep, that is what. Bhojya means that Vedas, four Vedas, Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. They cannot be reality because these Vedas, they cannot be reality because they are sounds. They are what is called particular knowledge of the objects. But there is a sect in Hinduism, they are called Vedins, followers of Vedas who believe that the rock bottom foundation of the entire Jagat is nothing but the Vedas. There are some people and I don't want to go into the detail, they are called Bodhainas and they are adept in performing the Yajnas, Yagas of the Karmakanda and the upholders of sacrifices like the Yajnas think that Yajnas like Jyotish, Toma, Agnihotra, etc. That is the highest reality because through them they will go to Swarga Loka. According to them, the sacred sacrifice performed in the past with sincerity and devotion, strictly according to the injunctions as given in the Vedas, is the ultimate cause for the present world of the living creatures. Why is a person born a poor person? He did not do proper Yajna. Why is a person rich or powerful or good family, very good health, etc.? Because he did all these Yajnas, Karmas and this is the result. But this is also an illusion because the difference is that I am the doer and here is the instrument of doing and here is an act I am doing. These are all done in the course of a short time so that the result of whatever is done in a short time cannot give me eternal happiness. Again and again we have to come. That is the fact Bhagavad Gita is outlining to us. As soon as Karmapala is over, as soon as the credit is exhausted, the hotel people will kick us out. Swarga Loka is higher, etc. And according to Sankhyas, the ultimate reality is Purusha who is an enjoyer but not a doer. That is also wrong. Then there are gluttons to whom the only reality is to have delicious food. These are also called Jharvakas, etc. So there are some people, they are called Supakas. Supakas means those who prepare soup, that is cooks. And they think to be a good cook so that I can prepare first class things for myself and enjoy. That is the highest reality. This is a Vichitra Jagat where so many wonderful things are there. Some people's only ambition is to become best cooks. So that is what Gaudapada wants us to convey. They cherish these ideals as the highest goal of life. Reality means highest goal of life. They are okay but it is not the highest reality. Then we move on to Karika number 23. You must have noticed I am not taking a long time. Because at the end, Gaudapada's only view is all this is not right conception of reality. But he will not condemn. Hinduism will not condemn. That's an important point. That's what Swami Vivekananda wanted to tell to the Raja in Rajasthan. Okaying when a person bows down before a stone, addressing it as God. He is not foolish enough, so dull, so stupid that he also knows mere stone cannot do anything. But the stone, just as you are reminded of your father and grandfather and great-grandfather by looking at the pictures, drawings of them in your hall. These people by seeing a particular stone, they are reminded of God Himself. There is a funny story and I have quoted a few times. But you can enjoy it how this reality comes. There was a village and the villagers have to go to a bigger village for all their purchases or selling and buying, etc. On the way, there is a truck and then people used to use it to make nuisance by answering calls of nature. Because they found it a very convenient place. But it was very inconvenient for many people because of the smell. Even the people who desecrate it also have to suffer. But they are such crude fellows, they don't mind convenience. Immediate convenience is what is their goal. So one clever fellow and probably the whole village was worshipper of Shiva. One evening, he probably went with one or two people, similar thinking people and washed up the whole place. And then he put what is called Chandan, Kumkum and then turmeric and garlands, etc. And then named it Motralinga, like that. And then from next morning, people started, Oh, we never knew about it. This is Shiva Himself. Any rock, any stone can be Shiva and started Sastang Pranams, the nuisance has stopped. Anyway, what is the point here? That is why when Swami Vivekananda, Narendra Nath started criticizing Rakhal, that you promised to the Brahmins that I will never worship these idols, etc. As soon as he came into contact with Sri Ramakrishna, he reverted back to his natural, his own nature, which is he was a devotee. He was a devotee of Mother Kali and bowing down, etc. Narendra chided him and Sri Ramakrishna chided Narendra and said, You are a dull-witted person. You don't understand. There are many people including you. And Sri Ramakrishna predicted, you may think that I don't want to worship, but a time will come when this very Narendra will be panting like a dog for the darshan of the Ishta Devata Murthis. And then interesting, in the very first chapter of the Gospel, we see him arguing with Sri Ramakrishna, I am a believer in the formless aspect of God. How can God be having either His form or without form? Sri Ramakrishna said, He is with form, without form and beyond both form and formlessness. And then the description comes by whom? By M himself. In the very Gospel, one day he went to the temple and then he saw, every day he used to see, whenever he visited Sri Ramakrishna entering the sanctum sanctorum, and then bowing down and fanning the Divine Mother. And the description goes, Ram Lal Dada, who was the priest at that time, he knew M very much. So he took him inside, probably it was the first time that he went. And M was overwhelmed with the presence of the Divine Mother. After all, the Mother must be vibrating like a living Mother because of Sri Ramakrishna's worship, etc. Jagrat Devata. And he felt thrilled. And then he saw many times from outside, Sri Ramakrishna fanning the Divine Mother. And immediately he asked Ram Lal Dada, can I fan? And graciously gave permission. Immediately he took up the fan and he was getting such joy, which at no time he got. Similarly, Narendra, because of his poverty, came to plead Sri Ramakrishna. Sri Ramakrishna asked him, go and ask yourself. And he beheld this marvellous Saguna Brahma in the form of Mother Kali. And he forgot everything. Mother gave me Viveka, Vairagya, Jnana and Bhakti. Completely forgot, I want money, etc. Even after the third time, when Sri Ramakrishna reminded him, this time he remembered, but he said, I was ashamed. It is like approaching a king who is very pleased with a person and asking, after being granted, whatever you want, I will give you. Ask, what do you want? I want some pumpkins. That's all. Will anybody do that? Unless that fellow is a stupid, idiotic fellow, nobody will do that. So like that, when we really go to God, Mother, may I live a long time and may I become a scholar, may I hold a magistrate's position or may I become Prime Minister or may I become a great scientist. All these desires, not that we will discriminate and discard them, they will automatically fall. When you take an ice ball in front of blazing fire, you don't need to say anything. By the very power of the heat, all this ice will melt and becomes not only water, it will evaporate also then and there. Somehow, if we can go there. So, worshipping God with form, don't even say it is a doorway to the formless. Don't even say that. Because millions or billions, I would say, have realised God with form. Because I would say, God with form is one doorway. God without form is another doorway. I would even go so far to say, if anybody says, I would like to think of God without form. Sir, what comes into your mind? And that fellow will not be able to tell me because whatever he tells is like the sky. You are seeing the sky. It is like a vast ocean. You are seeing an ocean, a vast desert. You are seeing a desert. What is it that you never experienced? And you can imagine God like that. It is impossible. So, this is the idea, background. But different people cherish different schools of philosophy. And on what does it depend? Upon two things. Our past janma samskaras is one. Like Vijayakrishna Goswami, because of his present idealism, he joined the Brahmo Samaj, who are supposed to worship the formless aspect of God. But his purva janma samskara is firmly rooted in the worship of God with form by his very ancestors, Goswamis, Hiranyakrishna. Immediately, the spiritual past master saw the problem. You are not going to progress in spiritual life. So, what are you doing? He did not say that or he might have meant it. I don't know. In brackets, in this wretched non-spiritual Brahmo Samaj, come out. And Vijayakrishna Goswami understood. He came out. That created a furore again. Some antipathy feelings against Sri Ramakrishna also. The point I wanted to tell you is all of them, if they do whatever they are supposed to do with the present understanding, with complete faith, they will also progress. With this, we enter into the 23rd parika. So, the invoice of the subtle. That is, Atma as the Anor Aniyam or Anus or Amanus. Designate it as the subtle. Invoice of the gross. Call it gross. Those that are familiar with a personality having a form, call it a person. And those that do not believe in anything having a form, call it a void. Who are they? Not ordinary people like us, but certain followers of certain schools of philosophy. We will very briefly come to know about it because that is not essential for us. Anand, as I said earlier, Shankaracharya doesn't comment upon these 20th to 28th karika. It's only Anandagiri who tells us what Gaudapada really is wanting us to understand. Whom is he indicating through these usages? Sukshmaiti. No ears. There are what is called Naiyayikas. Those who follow the school of Nyaya, they believe that the whole universe is the result of what we call Paramanus. That is the subtlest of the atoms. Everything is made up of the atoms. And the atoms do not have consciousness. But at some point of time, consciousness has come. And if you ask the physicists, that is what they say, that the whole universe has come from what is called Big Bang, which is the subtlest form of the atoms. And time and space are born, etc., etc. So this is what we need to understand. Sukshma means Paramanu. The entire Jagat is made up of Paramanus. Sthulaiti, the gross body. There are some people, Chairavakas, called Lokaitas also. For them, body is everything. And this whole universe is made up of four Bhutas. That is Vayu, Agni, etc. And this is the highest reality. The gross body cannot be the ultimate reality. It is a dead or sleeping man. Instead of the body being in existence, it is unconscious. When we are unconscious, we are not even aware of the body. Therefore, if the body is the highest reality, this dead body, an unconscious body, a sleeping body cannot be the reality. So, any single, not only body, any single limb of the body is insentient. Therefore, even their aggregate cannot constitute a conscious reality. So these are a section of what is called materialists. Most of us are like that only. Then these are also called Dehatmavadins. That is, those who think body is everything. Who are these people? For example, if you are familiar with some Upanishads, the Chandogya, this Prajapati declared, the knowers of Atman will get all their desires fulfilled. And Indra is the representative of the Devas, Gods. And then Virochana is the representative of the Asuras. That is, body-minded people came. And the Prajapati, as a teacher, told them that you perform Tapasya and after some years you come here. And then they came, I think about 31 years. And then the first teaching is, go and look at your reflection in a pan of water. And they went and looked. And they looked at their bodies. And what you see, that is the body. Virochana was very happy. My Guru taught me what is Atman. This body is the Atman. He went back. He became the leader of a huge religious followers. Eat, drink, have fun. These are called. Then there are people. That is, those who believe some, what is called Puranas, etc. Shiva with a trident. Vishnu with a disc, Chatur Bhuja. And Divine Mother Durga with ten hands. This is the ultimate reality. Every devotee thinks, my Ishta Devata is the ultimate reality. All this also is fine as a means of progressing. But they will have to slowly go back. So Murtha means God imagined as a concrete form. And that is the highest reality. Vishnu lives in Vaikuntha. Shiva lives in Kailasha. Devi lives in Devi Loka. Ramakrishna lives in Guloka. Ramakrishna lives in Ramakrishna Loka. And some incidents also, unfortunately, go to reinforce. I was taken to a distant land. There I saw Sri Ramakrishna, the Lord. And there I saw that they kept me by His side. And I was so happy. That is the Vaikuntha or Guloka. And then after some time, they asked me to come. And when I looked at my own body, I felt repugnant to enter into it. This was what Holy Mother is telling. And then Sri Ramakrishna himself saw. I went to the Saptarishi Mandala. And I saw all the Saptarishis sitting and meditating. And if I ask any one of you who are listening to my talks, that how did the Saptarishis look? Did they have beard or clean shave? They can't have clean shave because there was no barber there. And is it white or completely black or completely white or half black and half white? You will undoubtedly, without a moment's thought, you will say, there are pure white bearded. That means they are old people. No young person is there. Only one young being was there. That was Sri Ramakrishna. He was a small baby also. So Akhanda Rajya, indivisible realm. And these seven Rishis were there. And one of them is supposed to be Swami Vivekananda. You just imagine. So this is called those who think God with a form. Are they wrong? No. But is it complete? No. It is incomplete. But they will progress. God himself will take them with a loving hand and unravel everything. Because remember, that which is with a form is limited. And if you imagine anything unlimited, then it becomes formless. A huge Maidan, huge Akasha. What form you have of this space, you cannot do that. Amorta iti. Amorta means void. Shonia. There is a school of Buddhists. They are called Nihilists. Shonia Vadins. And they say that the ultimate reality is an absolute void. It is an illusion. As a void also should have a nowhere. And so cannot be the substratum of the positive fact of the empirical universe. This is their idea. It is countered by this argument. What is that argument? If it is complete Shonia, ultimate reality, then there cannot be anybody who knows it as Shonia. Because to know that that is something Shonia, the nowhere should be separate from the ultimate reality. And if the person who is witnessing, if he is seeing something, something non-existing, nobody can experience. If anybody is experiencing something, it must be only something which is existent. Whatever name you call it, whether it is space, fire, water, etc. So these are the ideas. They are okay. But they will also progress further. We move on to Karika 24. Envoyers of time or I would say the worshippers of time call Atman as Kala. Envoyers of space call it space. And those worshipped in disputation call it the problem in dispute, that is what is called rational people. And the knowers of the worlds call it the worlds. But for Anandagiri, it would have been difficult for most of us to understand. So who are these people who consider God as Kala? Astrologers, even astronomers. The astrologers and astronomers believe that the world has emerged out of the eternal factor called time. And the world is sustained in time and will be going back into that point of singularity in time. This is what the modern scientists, physicists, especially led by Stephen Hawking, did say. The whole universe contracted itself into a point where time, space, causation disappeared. And for something happened, that is what he called Big Bang. And how big that bang is, God alone knows whether there was a bang or not because nobody is there. And the scientists tried to prove. Even now, the sound that emerged can be heard through some instruments. In fact, I also heard it and I did not find whether it is big. It is actually a very small sound. It is not Big Bang at all. So astrologers, why are you like this? Because you are born at this particular conjunction of all the nakshatras, etc. Time, time, everything. A baby is born in time. Baby grows up in time. And baby disappears also in time. Appearance and disappearance happen in time. There is nothing greater than time. And are we worshippers of time? We are the greatest worshippers of time and also timelessness. What am I talking about? Whenever you say Mother Kali, Kali is nothing but deification of time, worshipping time as reality. And we call it Kali. And time always springs from timelessness. And that timelessness is called Shiva or Mahakala. So we are also worshippers of time. We meditate at a particular time. We get up at a particular time. We eat at a particular time. We marry at a particular time. And we die also at a particular time. And then there are people, Disha, Iti, Chata, Dvira. There is a school of thinkers. They are called Swarodaya Vadins. Because we don't know about them. Thinking, are they people who turn to the southern side and worship it as God? Yes, a Mother Maraja is supposed to be ruling the southern side. And so many people are frightened to face the South. They want to face the North. But there is one deity, manifestation of Shiva called Dakshinamurthy. He is facing the South. Why is he facing? I don't care because Yamadharma Raja is my servant. That's why there is a story of Markandeya. Yamadharma Raja came to catch hold of him. And this Markandeya caught hold of Shiva's feet. And then Yamadharma Raja thought, Who is this Shiva? I will have to snatch this person. And Shiva gave him such a kick. And Yamadharma Raja even now trembles at the very name of Shiva. That is why one of the epithets of Shiva is called Mrityunjaya. So the Eastern side is very good. All Hindus turn towards the Eastern side. And then go on praying to the Surya Deva every day morning. But all the Muslims, they will turn towards the West. Because Mecca, God is only at that place. Unfortunately not in India. So they have to make a Hajj pilgrimage. So people have got these ideas. There are some people who are worshippers of all the directions. That means the rulers of the directions. They want to worship. And they will also go to progress in course of time. Then there are people, Vadaha iti vadavidaha. That is the Vada is here, technical meaning. And only Anandagiri has given it. The science of the alchemist. That is to say, there are some people, especially they take this metal called Mercury. And with that Mercury, they can transform any metal into gold. And that will give us etc. And then magicians. All these, what do they do? They are also called Dhatu Vadins or Mantra Vadins etc. who conjure up magic through crystals, chantings, etc. And this magical art is what is called Vada. So Vada iti vadavidaha. Bhuvana niti tadvidaha. There are then cosmologists or people who believe there are 14 worlds and there are ways. The below seven worlds are places of what we call suffering. But the ones which are above, they are all great things. So we will have to go there. This is there. They believe in different worlds. And the higher the world, the more is the happiness. And that is what they want to ultimately attain. These are all different beliefs. What about devotees who want to go to Ramakrishna Loka? All these Bhuvana Vadins, Loka Vadins or not? Yes, they are also there. And those who want to go to Brahma Loka or Satya Loka, they are also people like. That is different ideas. But as we change our opinions, these people also in the course of time change their opinions. And probably for the better, let us imagine it is for the better. Then we move on to Karika 25. There are people who say that the mind is the highest reality. In fact, every psychologist is a worshipper of the mind. He says everything in the mind. There is also a Vedanta philosophy, Vedanta teaching, Mind alone is the root cause of all happiness as well as unhappiness. I will come back to that. Then there are some people, no, no, no. Mind's function is only gathering information. But the decision making lies with the intellect called Buddhi. And so there are some people who believe the root cause of all our happiness is Buddhi. But as you know in Nirvana Shatakam, He denied it. Why are they denied? Because all these things are changing. You sit for meditation. You will understand what I am talking about. Every millisecond our thoughts are rushing like a tsunami waves. So, but there are people who consider if I can control my mind, I become a Yogi. Those who follow Patanjali Yoga call it that the root cause of all problem is mind. If I can control the mind, then I will realize God. I will be forever eternally free. There are some people, they are called Vijnanavadins. And those people think Buddhi is the highest reality. So that is what some people say. For some people, mind stuff is the highest reality. But there are some people who say Dharma and Adharma Chatadvidaha. That is Dharma and Adharma. This is the only reality. Let us acquire Dharma. Let us try to reduce Adharma as much as possible. The whole life is nothing but a manifestation of the result of Dharma and Adharma. Whatever Dharma we did, that conduces to happiness. Whatever Adharma we did, that conduces to suffering. No one else is responsible. I am only responsible. This is other type of people. So here we have a Karika giving us four more of the what is called theories that were present at the time of Gaudapada or even before him. Explaining what is this creation, what is this world and what should be our goal. So some people believe that the mind is the greatest reality. Because where do we experience happiness? In the mind. Where do we experience unhappiness? In the mind. Where do we experience what is called good? In the mind. Where do we experience the evil? In the mind. Everything is experienced only in the mind. In fact, the whole world is nothing but in the mind. How do we know? As soon as we go into sleep, we go beyond the mind and we become completely free from the mind. Then nothing but pure Ananda is experienced. So this is also not tenable because it is an instrument. Somebody is there who is watching the mind. Why? Because mind is an object. Because anything that is experienced is a Jada Padartha, an object. Mind is also an object. Mind means thoughts. Thoughts can be divided into different categories like good and evil, higher world and lower world and likes and dislikes and an artist, a writer, a scientist. They all work with these different thoughts. Therefore, thoughts are changing. So it is not possible. So another school, mainly constituted of the Buddhists, believes that the intellect is the supreme reality. That is Buddhi. Some Buddhists are called idealists and for them this Buddhi is everything. They forget that in the deep state, neither the mind nor the intellect will ever be working. That is the real cause of our happiness. So these who understand Buddhi, intellect, as the highest reality, they are a class of Buddhists. They forget. Then Chitta. It is Chitta Vidaha. Chitta is an aspect of mind which doesn't have any particular form, but it reflects the Samskaras or memories. And we are what our memories or Samskaras are made up of, and some people believe it. And then there are Mimamsakas, Purva Mimamsakas, because Uttara Mimamsa means Vedantins. Purva Mimamsa means those who believe in the first part of the Vedas, Dharma and Adharma. And your whole life is you believe in the scriptures and the scriptures tell us what to do, what not to do. And if we follow the injunctions of the scriptures, then we will be absolutely acquiring Dharma. Dharma gives Punya. Punya gives happiness. Otherwise, if we neglect them, if we behave contrary, then it is called Adharma. Adharma leads to Papa, and Papa leads to suffering, and nobody likes suffering. Therefore, the whole life is nothing but running after what we hope that gives us happiness, and try to avoid what we are convinced will give us unhappiness. So the whole attention in life is how to acquire Dharma, avoid Adharma. These are one view of what is called reality. Thus it goes on. We will discuss a few more verses in our next class.