Mandukya Karika Lecture 127 on 01-November-2023

Summary (This text is generated by AI)

This lecture is about the teachings of Advaita Vedanta as explained by Adi Shankaracharya and Gaudapada. Swami Dayatmanandaji starts by mentioning that they are studying the fourth chapter of the Mandukya Karikas called Alatashanti Prakarana. In the previous class, they had completed verses 31 and 32.

Swami Dayatmanandaji explains that Gaudapada wants to establish the doctrine of Ajativada or non-origination through these verses. Ajativada means there is no creation or multiplicity, and Brahman alone exists. The whole debate is whether the world is real or mithya (apparent). Mithya does not mean non-existent, but something that is mistaken for something else.

Swami Dayatmanandaji reiterates that whatever changes is not the truth. The ultimate truth is "I am", everything else added to it is mithya. Ignorance and ego make us mistake the impermanent as the eternal truth. Verses 31 and 32 state that whatever does not have a beginning or end cannot even exist in the present moment. But due to ignorance, we mistake the changing as the eternal truth.

Swami Dayatmanandaji explains the logic using examples of dreaming. In a dream, whatever is experienced seems completely real, but upon waking up, it is realized to be unreal. Similarly, waking reality also becomes unreal when one enters the dream state. But people argue that unlike dreams, waking experiences have continuity and utility. Gaudapada refutes this using the example of objects seen within the body during dreams. It is irrational to see a mountain inside one's body. Hence dream objects are unreal, and by implication, so is the waking world.

Shankara and Anandagiri's commentaries are cited to reinforce the point that whatever has a beginning and end is transient like dreams. What remains is Brahman alone. The changing forms, names and qualities make up the world. Devoid of these, Brahman alone exists as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

Verses 33-35 use more examples from dreaming to refute the reality of the phenomenal world. Just as the dreamer cannot actually go out to experience dream objects due to discrepancy in time, the journey of life from birth to death is also an imagined one with a beginning and end. There is no real bondage or liberation either, just like the experiences of being bound and freed in a dream.

Swami Dayatmanandaji explains how the Visishtadvaita and Dvaita schools believe that the waking, dream and deep sleep states have their own reality that cannot be negated. But Gaudapada and Shankara counter this by analyzing the nature of these states.

Whatever has a beginning and end is transitory and cannot be the ultimate truth. Deep sleep also has a beginning and end. The ever-present witness consciousness in all states is Brahman. Forms, names and qualities are superimposed on Brahman due to ignorance, giving rise to the world appearance. Negating these reveal Brahman as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

The role of the Guru and scriptures is to remove this apparent bondage of samsara through right knowledge, even though from the absolute standpoint, they are also merely concepts arising in the mind. The entire spiritual practice is meant for removing ignorance about our true nature as Brahman by different means.

In summary, through logical analysis and examples, Gaudapada establishes Ajativada - the unreality of the manifested world and Brahman as the sole reality without a second. The passages summarize the salient points made so far regarding the nature of the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep, and their transient, dependent nature. The role of the Guru and scriptures is clarified in removing ignorance, even though they are also conceptual. The conversation aims to drive home the radical Advaitic perspective of the world being an imaginary appearance on the one non-dual Brahman, through repetitive contemplation.

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

So we are studying the fourth chapter of the Mandukya Karikas called Alatha Shanti Prakarana. In our last class, we have completed Karikas 31 and 32. So what is the relevance of this? Not only these two, but for the next several verses, Gaudapada wants to prove Ajati Vada. He is not telling us something very new, but a thing must be repeated any number of times. Once Swami had given a very beautiful example. You want to drive a nail into a wall. How many times do you have to hit it with an iron hammer? As many times as possible until it completely goes, becomes one. Pure Advaitam with the wall. There the similarity ends. But what is the wall? It is made up of what? Iron. Strongest iron metal. What is the hammer made up of? Pure butter. Now you have to think, imagine how much time it will take for that to drive it in. So this repetition is not only not a defect, but it is the only way. It is very hard for us to understand that why you are again and again talking about Ajati Vada. Vada means a firm opinion, a view, world view. What is the world view? There is no world. That is the view. Everybody else to have a view, they must accept the world exists. Then they can have any number of worlds. If there is a Srishti, there is a Drishti. But here Advaita wants to prove. Advaita means there is no creation at all. Creation means multiplicity. Creation means time, space, object wise limitation. Three bodies and our experiences in all the three aspects is completely different. Whichever state we are experiencing in, that is the only state we are in. So the whole debate hinges on this fact, whether the world is real versus whether the world is Mithya. This is the most marvelous word that is coined. Mithya is a most marvelous word. Many people after hearing that one, even after a long time, have the idea it is something non-existent. That is a completely wrong view. Mithya is not a non-existing thing. It is mistaking an existing something as something else. So this is what Shankaracharya clarifies beautifully in his introduction to the Adhyasa Bhashya. The very introduction to the Brahma Sutras is called Adhyasa Bhashya, commentary on the Adhyasa. We all experience Adhyasa. Adhyasa means Mithya. So what is this Adhyasa? I have given you several times, examples, but every time we have to recollect. One is called Jnana Adhyasa. When we dream something that we experience as if we are somewhere else, rather from where we have slept and we are in some other place at some other time, so time-space becomes completely compressed. What can take whole life can be experienced within a short few seconds. Not only that, the whole universe can be seen within ourselves because a dream as if is within ourselves. So while experiencing dream, we don't say it is a dream. We should never say it is a dream. Just as when we are experiencing waking, we should never say it is a Mithya. It is the reality. But upon waking, what do we find? What do we find? Everything that we experienced is only an imagination and this imagination is based upon what we have experienced during the waking state. But as soon as we wake up, the whole dream world like a pack of cards collapses. But what we do not understand is that the same phenomena takes place. As soon as we enter into the dream world, the whole waking state also collapses. Whichever state we are in, that state alone, so long as that state lasts, is the only reality for us. But when we enter into the third stage, waking and dream, both of them completely disappear. And that is similar to, somewhat similar to Advaita experience. But it gives tremendous amount of peace not only to others, that is the only time we give so much of peace to everybody else. And even joy also. For example, if you are deeply asleep, a thief who enters your house, you make him unconsciously by just being in that state, a very happy person because you make him completely free. No fear, no hesitation, as if you are telling, whatever brother belongs to me, belongs to you, take away everything, whatever you fancy. So this is the state. Gaudapada wants to prove, if every day, one third of our life, we are in that state of deep sleep, where the waking and the dream do not exist at all, it gives a hint to us, that's what Shankara and Gaudapada and all Advaitic teachers are hinting at. How do you deny that in Samadhi, there is any world and that is the highest happiness, because we become one with every object and what we fancy. Every object has some Ananda, all the Ananda, because we become the object. So the Ananda also, we become the Ananda, we become Sat, Chit and Ananda. Whatever exists, we become the existence. Whatever we have knowledge, we become that knowledge. Whatever we experience as Ananda, we become that Ananda. And that is the goal because that is the truth. How do we know? Because the scripture tells us. Scripture should not, never tells us what is obvious, what we can experience. You see, Shankara gives a beautiful example. No, there is no need for the scripture to tell the sun always rises in the east, because with our own eyes, we only see. Even if somebody is in America or Antarctica, always we are from the direction in which the sun rises is called the east. This is the convention. So the scripture need not tell what we are ourselves able to experience. But what the scripture wants to tell is that this idea, this is east, this is west, this is south, north, and this is a man, this is an animal, all these things are human conventions. Because if you ask a mice or a mosquito, who is great? Are you great? Or another, am I, the human being who is asking is great? So it need not be, we need not guess, because the resounding answer will be that I am great. For every creature, I am, that is the greatest. Unconsciously, we are echoing the highest truth. I am is the only reality. Everything else that is added to I am is called Mithya, appearance. I am is the only ultimate truth. So the whole sadhana is not to become Brahman, but to realize, to remove all the obstructions, which is called Ahamkara. Whatever is added to Aham is called Ahamkara. So the whole debate is Brahma Sathyam, Jagan Mithya. Then it becomes Dvaita. So there are two truths, Brahman is real, world is unreal. No, for the purpose of Viveka Vairagya, the scripture teaches us the world is unreal. There, unreality doesn't mean unreal, it means a temporary existence, changing existence. So unchanging existence, unchanging existence, that is the difference, we have to remember it. So for that, in the verses 31 and 32, I will just quote those two karikas, so that whatever I have given you, that is the essence of it. आदव अन्तेचे यन्नास्ति वर्तमानेपि तत् तथा वितधैः सद्रुषाः सन्तः अवितथा इवलक्षिताः That is, whatever has no beginning, whatever has no end, in between, वर्तमान means the present, आदव means in the past, अन्ता means in the future. When both past and future are negated, even to think that there is a present, that is the greatest logical fallacy. That means what? There is no such thing that something is existing now. वितधैः सद्रुषाः सन्तः There is always वि तथा. तथा means as they are. That is the truth. सद्रुषाः Everything is true. What is the truth? Whatever is changing is not the truth. But because of ignorance, अवितधाः इवलक्षिताः As if they are the highest truths. अवितधाः means as if that is the only truth. That which is not वितधाः, false, temporary, मिठ्य. If it is not मिठ्य, it must be सत्य. इवलक्षिताः Because of ignorance, just like for that two examples are given. Many times this example comes, dream example. So long as a person is dreaming, nobody, even the dreamer will not say, I am dreaming, first. Secondly, he says, what I am experiencing is the only reality. But the same person, as soon as he wakes up, he realizes totally things have changed. The time has changed. The space has changed. The reasoning is changed. Logic is changed. Everything becomes changed. Similarly, as I mentioned, that the waking state is also as unreal as the dream. But for that, we don't think like that. We know that when we wake up from dream, it is unreal. Everybody's experience. Supposing you feel that you have won a lottery ticket in your dream and then you started jumping up and down and that will wake you up. So better if you dream like that, just enjoy for some time without any movement and don't tell to anybody because your near and dear will be plotting now, this fellow is very rich. So how do we get all those things? But the truth is, just now I mentioned, as soon as our waking state comes to an end and dream state begins, the whole waking state experience becomes unreal. Just as the dream world becomes a dream world as soon as we wake up. But this is not taken note of because we are born, we experience. After dream, we get same thing like that. All we have gone through this rigmarole of arguments and I'm just recollecting. But Sapna lasts only for a long time. Every time I go to dream state, I see something new. So there is no relationship between what I had seen one day back and what I am seeing now. But in the waking state, before going to bed, my almirah, my family, everything is exactly as it is. As soon as I wake up, I see the same things. This is a very foolish argument and Gaudapada cuts it to pieces saying that when you are having a dream, do you really question yourself and say, yesterday night I had another dream and today this is another dream. Do you ever question? Never. As if the past was there, the future will be there and everything just like waking state. That is thus pointed out in especially second chapter that is called Vaitatya Prakaranam. As I mentioned, this Alatha Shanti Prakaranam is only recapitulation, so to say, or clarifying through repetition and very slightly new way of presentation. So what is he telling? That even when we see everything is changing in this world, for that you don't need to go to dream state. You yourself are the greatest Pramana, authenticity, because you are a baby and every day you are changing, every minute you are changing, you become an old young man, you become a middle-aged person, you become an old person, you become a diseased person and then you suffer, sometimes you are happy, unhappy, everything comes, everything goes, nothing remains the same thing and one day, as they say in English language, either somebody kicks you to death or you kick your bucket yourself. Either somebody kicks your bucket or you kick your own bucket. This is the argument represented by Gaudapada. But even though we are seeing all the time as if it is a new fact, that is what as if this is the highest truth, that means unchanging truth, that is the power of Maya, like Vishnu Maya. So this is one. Thirty second. Now this thirty second is that in the waking state, some purpose is served. For example, if I am thirsty, I can raid the fridge, take the cool drink and quench my thirst and be quite happy for a short time. But such a thing doesn't happen. Again another great defect in people like us to think anything through. What is it? If you are thirsty in your dream, so there will be fridge also and then you can raid the fridge and dream thirst will be removed by dream cool drink. Dream hunger similarly can be quenched. So whatever is real in the waking state, exactly same thing happens. But people like us, opponents means what people like us, we think that this waking state is real, things are real, things really serve a purpose but not in dream state. In fact, most of us we serve, we are happy only when we are in a dream state. So you imagine, a young man imagines if I can get married to this young lady, then whole life I will be very very happy. They have given a beautiful name for that. It is called Shobhana Adhyasa. So he doesn't know that he will be, his troubles, problems start only after the marriage, before marriage no, everything looks rosy and especially if you are meeting in what is called candle light dinner, that's what happens. But the other way round also, there is reality, you have to face the reality because before marriage it is imagination and after marriage it is reality. You suddenly you are pushed into reality and that is where problems can come. But if you are a poet and if you can keep your imagination and that is what makes you very happy. You are eating a sweet, it is a marvelous sweet. If you think, then you are very happy. This is a rotten sweet, then you are unhappy. So happiness depends upon our state of mind that is in a positive state of mind, more happiness will be there. Negative state of mind, just the opposite. So this is what in the 32nd wants to say, in the waking state, there is utility, we see it. But in dream, that doesn't happen. Therefore what is the conclusion? There is a beginning for the dream and the dream comes to an end. Foolish fellow, what about your waking state? It also has a beginning because when you wake up after your deep sleep or after dream breaks up, that is the beginning of waking state. Whatever you experienced is past, dead and gone. But we never stop to think. So we have got two types of terrible misunderstandings. This waking state is real state, even though there is absolutely no difference between dream and waking state. Second is, what is the reason for that? Because when we are in the dream state, I gained something, I lost something, upon waking up, nothing is added, nothing is lost. Exactly same thing happens. You might dream that you have lost something, your property or job or whatever it is and when you wake up, nothing happens. Same phenomena is happening naturally. No, no, this is very long time, nearly 80 years. No, no, no, 80 years is nothing. Even if somebody lives for 8 days, that he doesn't feel I lived only for 8 days. So this is the idea. You ask a baby, how long have you been living? Only 8 days? He will never say, no, my whole life I have been alive. Like that he will say. Therefore there is, what is the point? There is absolutely, from the point of whatever has a beginning, whatever has an end, doesn't have, even while experiencing, that is the real point, Gaudapada wants to drive into our hard metallic wall through this kind of what we call buttery nails. That is the problem. We have seen this one. But another point also, the opponent misses. So one of the thing is, whatever has a beginning, must have an end. If your Samsara, as you claim, is Anadi, then Anadi will never have an end. And if you say, that it has a beginning, definitely it will come to an end. So I mentioned it earlier, please recollect. Supposing you do Sadhana, and God gives you a vision, says 1st January Kalpataru day, I will come and give you Moksha. And you are very happy, waiting. And in fact, it is not very far away. November has started already, only two months time. So that is the beginning of Moksha. End of Samsara, beginning of Moksha. And then Shankara applies the reason, Gaurichi Gaurapada also mentions, whatever has no beginning, also will not have an end. And supposing this fellow says, that is what he is trying to say, let the state of liberation have a beginning and an end. What is the harm in thus conceiving the state of liberation? Let it begin, let it end. And the reply is that, if a thing has a beginning, it will have an end. It doesn't exist in the middle also. So even we see something is existing in the middle, purely because of our ignorance. Then another is, but Moksha is an experience of great happiness. But then, if you think, that whatever lasts for a short time, is an eternal happiness. There is nothing called eternal happiness at all. Eternal happiness from something second, from an object, there is no such thing. But if your very nature is eternal, nobody can make it non-eternal. If you are non-eternal, nobody can make you eternal. This is the answer. So if liberation has a beginning, it will also end. Then it will be no difference between dream world, waking world, even deep sleep world. Because deep sleep also has a beginning. You go to bed, until the time you are in waking state, and at 11 o'clock you go, you are very tired, and then as soon as your head touches the pillow, you are out. So 11 o'clock it begins, and 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 4 o'clock, whatever it is, waking state comes. So even that state also has a beginning. Which state? Deep sleep state. And it will also have an end. This is what we have seen in our last class. I am only repeating so many things. After that it should be easier for us. Now we will move on to the 33rd. He is giving the example of Swapna. What is it? All objects cognized in dream and real, because they are seen within the body. We have seen this in Vaithathya Prakarana, beginning itself. So how is it possible for things that are perceived to exist, to be really in Brahman, which is indivisible and homogeneous? This is the argument of the opponent, Purvapakshi. What is it? You Advaitin, you claim that Brahman is Advaita. It is Akhanda. Indivisible. And it is homogeneous, means it will be exactly the same. It is called Purana. Purana means what? Purapinava. There is no change at all. So you are claiming that one. For that Gaudapada has to give the answer. And he is repeating what we have studied just for our recollection or better understanding. Sarve Dharma. Dharma here means not Hindu Dharma, Vaishnava Dharma. Dharma means objects. All beings, living, non-living, a tree, a mountain, a river, everything is borrowed the Buddhistic terminology. Dharma means here object. All objects. Mrisha means unreal. Where? Sapne. In the dream. Why? What is Antaha here? That is inside. Inside the body. You see a huge Mount Everest in dream. And where do you see the dream? That mountain in your dream. That means where is the dream? In your mind. Where is the mind? Within your body. So where is the mountain? Within your body. So inside the body. This is the Nidarshanath. This is the example. Sarve Dharma Mrisha. And you are seeing an elephant. You are seeing a mountain. You are seeing so many things. Small things of course you accept. I see a mosquito. I see a rat. A cat etc. But you can't conceive anything bigger than the body. But that is what regularly we experience in our dream state as we experience in the aching state. How is it possible for things that are perceived to exist to be really in Brahman which is indivisible and homogeneous? Why is this verse or karika stated here? There is a specific purpose. What is that purpose? There are a set of philosophers. In fact the Visishta Dvaita people and of course Dvaita people they say we don't accept that only Brahman is real. Waking is also real. Dream is also real. Dreamless is also real because we are experiencing. How can we deny what we are experiencing? So they have a reality of their own. Do not bring them in comparison with waking with dream, dream with deep sleep, deep sleep with waking and dream. Don't bring that. Every state has its own reality. These are the... a set of philosophers are there. So these stanzas are the reply given to them. Those who believe the dream to be real claim that the dream is real so long as the dreamer dreams. That is according to Dvaita dream is also unreal, waking also is unreal, deep sleep is also unreal. What is the criteria by which we judge what is unreality? Whatever has a beginning and whatever has an end that is unreal. For that what should the reply should be? That my dear Sir, when you are dreaming you see a mountain or you see an elephant. So if an elephant enters into you what would be your state then? So you may enter into an elephant that is perfectly reasonable or a lion or a tiger but an elephant cannot enter into you because you are teeny-weeny. If a child is studying Amarachitra Katha and you hear a dream that I am seeing a huge elephant and Indra is riding that elephant, both Indra and Airavata both are within my own body. This is the reply that is being given by Gaudapada. So all waking experiences... Sorry, Shankara's brief commentary I selected some. The purpose of this karika is to show that Brahman which is birthless and undual is alone existent for the waking experiences on account of their having a beginning and an end are unreal like the dream ones. That which has a beginning and an end that means it is not eternal, is only temporary, whatever is temporary is unreal. That is the definition of Mithya. Mithya means therefore what is the conclusion? Brahman alone is the only thing and Anandagiri he follows Shankaracharya. All waking experiences on account of their having a beginning and an end are unreal like the dream ones. Therefore what are we seeing then? Are we seeing something? Yes. But we are not seeing as it is. We are seeing with our imagination. This is called Drishti, Srishti, Vada. That is what Bhagawan created we don't see. What we see, we add lot of spice, masala, so wonderful, so marvellous, etc. You know there are so many admirers of murderers, of evil people. We see all over the world they are fighting now. They don't want to see other person's viewpoint. They will never accept it because they think they are cock sure we alone are right. So all dream objects are seen within the body and it is impossible to see big things in our body. Hence they are unreal as also like mountain, like a big river, etc. Even a tree, especially a thorny bush if it is there inside your body, you can imagine that condition. So that is the reasoning given. So then what are we experiencing really? Only Brahman. We may be mistaking Brahman just as a small trunk of a tree, stump of a tree is mistaken to be a drunkard, to be a policeman, or to be a thief, or to be a human being, to be a policeman. All these are the things that are attached by the perceiver. If anybody can see, go and see, oh this is a stump of a tree, then there will be no illusion. Similarly, if we can analyze and see, everything that I am experiencing is nothing but Brahman and that experiencing of Brahman but not as Brahman because Brahman can never be experienced in the way we experience the world. Always we experience Brahman with Nama, with Rupa, with Guna. A form, a name, and a quality. So Brahman with form, name, and quality is another name for Jagat. Jagat without this world, without a form, a name, and a quality is Brahman. How is it? If we really use our logic, logical brain, rationality, we come, remove all forms, along with that all names also will go. And along with names and forms, all qualities will go. What remains? Nothing, shunya, no. Asti, that is to say, Sat, then Chit, and then Ananda. That's what remains. This is what Gaudapada wants to drive and for which much later on Shankaracharya as well as Anandagiri had clarified in a better language, easier language. Language may be easier but the idea is quite tough because we are accustomed to think for millions of births what we are experiencing is the truth. What is the truth? What we are experiencing is Brahman. But we are not seeing Brahman. We are taken in by the name, form, and quality. And what is sadhana? Get rid of name, form, and quality. What remains is called Satchitananda. Then there is no object, only pure subject which is called pure Shuddha Chaitanya. That is the point. And moving on to the 34th. 34th. Same logic. So it should not be difficult to understand. It is not possible for a dreamer to go out in order to experience the dream objects on account of the discrepancy of the time involved in such a journey. Suppose somebody dreams, I have gone to America to see my son, my daughter, etc. During dreaming, it is absolutely real. But suddenly he wakes up. And then how much time has passed? Within one and a half minute. Modern scientists who studied the phenomena of sleep and dream, they tell us that even the longest dream lasts only no more than one and a half minutes. And it is proved by the story of Vishnumaya as experienced by Narada Maharshi. You know that story. Krishna was requested by Narada, I heard about your Vishnumaya. Please let me experience it one time. But Krishna might have told, I am adding a bit of spice. You are a sanyasi fellow. Why do you want to see Vishnumaya? Maya means me, as Ramakrishna says, woman. So you don't need. No, no, no, no. Just only once. All right. We know this story. I will not repeat. One day Krishna and Arjuna went out and for several hours they walked. Krishna found out a tree, sat down and said, Arjuna, I am very thirsty. There is a small stream nearby and please take a leaf plate and bring fetch some water. And this Narada, he says, okay. I will just now. It won't take long time, just few seconds because it is next few steps only. He went, he bent down and then he found himself near another village on the shore and a beautiful young lady came out and he fell in love and then he remained there and then her father came out and to cut the story short, he married her and the father-in-law passed away and he inherited. He became a traditional farmer. So thus many years have passed. He accumulated lot of money. He had many children also and then one day suddenly there was a flash flood and he gathered all his money, accumulated money, his wife, his children, his property, wanted to cross the river, raging river and go to higher ground and on the way everything went excepting Narada. Everything went away excepting Narada himself. Then he was weeping his heart out, Oh Lord, what have you done? Anything wrong goes, it is God who has done it. Then suddenly a gentle voice came, why are you delaying Narada? Then suddenly with a start he woke up and then he found. So not even a minute has passed and then he went and fell at the feet, said Oh Lord, once I have seen and for eternity I have seen, please never show again even if I request you also. This is called Samsara and that is what we are all experiencing really. So what is the problem now? We take it that even what you care long time, short time, have you noticed when you go on holidays, holidays just run at a racing with what is called formula one car racing and if it is hard work then every second something is wrong with the engine and it is not starting at all. The same clock has come to life and at its own will it will run very fast or it will run very very slow, agonizingly slow. So what is the point? Mind alone is the root cause of both bondage as well as liberation. So here in the 34th Karika, it is not reasonable to say Darshanam Gatwa, you go at a long distance. As in waking state we take a long time, even to go to next town can take sometimes several hours by bus or whatever it is but within a short time in the dream we think of it and we find ourselves in that place. It is not rational at all. Not only that, as soon as he wakes up, every person who is dreaming, that means where he found himself in the dream, in that place, that means he will be found only where he is lying, where he was lying and dreaming, we find him only there. Earlier it is about objects, here about Kaala, time. So because of this time also is required in the waking state. So this is one reason to say whatever we experience in the dream state, it doesn't stand to reason, therefore it is not proper. So that is the sum and substance. Pandashankara says the time and space involved in undertaking a journey and in coming back have a definite and fixed standard in the waking state but these are seen to be completely reversed in dream. On account of this inconsistency, it can be said that the dreamer does not actually go out to another place during his dream experience. And then another reason, Godfather continues this one. Why? Because in those days there are no TVs, so he has to spend his time, disciples have to spend their own time and leisurely they used to take their own time and we feel why he is repeating because we have thousand and one things to attend to. That is the problem. So 35th Karika Very useful, very beautiful example. Mitradhyayi Samantriya That is in dream you go to your friend's home which is far away and you have marvellous time, what they call nowadays quality time. I don't know what is this quality time. This Maya time is not a quality time. Sambuddha, as soon as he wakes up, he doesn't see his friends and the friends also must have been extremely happy not to see you. You went and unnecessarily bored them to death. Pratibuddha, another example. What is the first example? You spent time in speaking with your friends, but as soon as you wake up, you don't see your friends. Another is, suppose you went and met a close friend of yours and he gives you some nice sweets. His wife is a most marvellous cook and she prepared especially for you. She knows what you like and she has not only fed you, to take some home, you can enjoy them later. So when you wake up, you don't look for a bundle where that lady has packed the things for you. Pratibuddha, after waking up, whatever you have got in your dream, whatever it be, good or bad, somebody bet you blood was flowing. Upon waking up, you don't see any blood flowing. There is no pain. But remember, most marvellous thing, you also feel the pain, the blood will come. In dream, if somebody is beating you black and blue, exactly like waking state, you get all the results exactly in the same way. But as soon as you wake up, not an iota of pain, nothing happens, only you are beating your heart like a drum and it becomes quietened down. Oh, I was only dreaming. So in the 35th, he has given another experience and that is what Shankara is going to tell us. There is no bondage or ignorance, really speaking, which requires to be removed by religious practices. Why? Because just as in dream, suppose somebody binds you and you are feeling that I am miserable and you are shouting, then somebody comes and then drives away the evil people and liberates you. And then with that, your waking state, you wake up. Then you find nobody bound you. It was just mere thought. So the thought of bondage was also a thought in the mind. The thought somebody liberated me, a Guru liberated me is also in the mind. I just add a little bit of masala to it. There is a wonderful book called Vichara Sagara and then there was not a bright pupil and he asks his Guru, what does he ask? You see, you are teaching the whole world is Mithya and if I take your word as truth, the Guru is also Mithya. The scripture is also Mithya because both Guru and Shastra belong only to the world and the Shishya's name is called Adrishti. Adrishti means a blind fellow who cannot see properly. That means who cannot understand properly. So hey Guru, you are always telling the world is Mithya but Guru and scripture alone are real. How do I reconcile this? So if world is Mithya, Guru is also Mithya and scripture is also Mithya, Guru's teaching is also Mithya. For that the answer given is so a Mithya Guru is more than sufficient to remove the Mithya bondage. So Mithya scripture is also... Just now I gave the example, somebody bound you in your dream and in dream only somebody comes, maybe I come and I give you a harder blow than the other people and suddenly you wake up, your bondage is gone or not. So for Kalpana Vandana, Kalpana Guru, Kalpana Shastra are more than sufficient. This is the Sankshita Tram. So everything that we do here is nothing but Kalpana. In fact this is the grandest, greatest psychological truth whatever we experience, eating, drinking, moving etc. This is all we don't know what the body is doing, we don't know what the external world is, we only know what is happening in our mind. So in this trend from now onwards to several Karikas, it should not be difficult to understand that just as Swapna is unreal because it has a beginning and an end and waking also has a beginning and an end, so Shukti is also a beginning and an end. Therefore whatever has a beginning, whatever that will have an end, whatever has a beginning has an end and whatever has no beginning and no end that doesn't exist even the middle also which is the present time. So what is the point? The whole Vandana is only a thought in the mind and scripture is another thought in the mind but it works in the opposite way of removing that negative thought and restoring us to reality. What is the reality? Brahman alone is the truth and what we call this Jagat is also none other than Brahman and therefore whatever is in the world is also Brahman and we are all there in this world as Jivas Jivo Brahma Eva Na Aparaha Om Jananim Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padmetayoh Sritva Pranamaami Moham Moho May Sri Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti Jai Ramakrishna