Devi Suktam Lecture 04 on 09 November 2023

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Devi Sukta. This forms in the 10th Mandala. Vigveda, let us remember, has been divided into 10 sections. This particular Sukta called Vaak Sukta, Devi Sukta, Ambruni Vaak Sukta comes in the 10th Mandala, 125th Sukta. And this Rishi or Rishika, female Rishi, is the daughter of Ambruna, a great Rishi himself. And this lady, she did a lot of Tapasya like Manu, like Bhrigu, like Sri Ramakrishna. And then she realized her oneness with Brahman. And once a person knows I am Brahman, then that Brahman is credited as becoming, manifesting in the form of Ishwara, Chit, Achit. That is every Jiva Atma and every object in the world. Achit, Chit, Achit. And in other words, Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. So this is being expressed by her. It is said when Buddha Deva had realized his oneness with Brahman, he started dancing, going round and round the Bodhi Pruksha for 14 days unceasingly. Then he decided to give up this body. Then Brahma came and requested him, many souls are thirsty to get your teaching. How you attain to this? So you please remain, keep this body and mind. Use it to help others progress in spiritual life. So Buddha Deva had accepted it. So this Paksha Uttam is a spontaneous outpouring or expression of this Rishika for realization and divine experience. What was that experience? I am Brahman. This has been said many times in the Upanishads. Brahma with Brahmayeva Bhavati. In the era of Brahman, we really become Brahman. What is the knowledge? Becomes doesn't mean as we discussed many times before, that we are not Brahmans but we do something and we become Brahmans. No. We were Brahmans. We forgot we are Brahman. And through Tapasya, we remove that veil, that forgetfulness, that Smriti. I am not Arjuna. I am Brahman. But for that the grace of God is necessary because this Maya Shakti, it is divine Shakti. Daivihesha Gunamayi Mama Maya Duratyaya Bhagavan says this Maya is not an ordinary power. It is a divine power and only divinity can help us remove it. So we have Tapasya means what? Complete self-surrender. So this Rishika did Tapasya and by the grace of God, her Agnana was removed. She knows that I am Brahman. The marvelous fact of the teachings of the Vedanta is, it is not that Ambruni alone had become Brahman. Anybody who does the same thing can become Brahman. And one of the pathways is that they can chant this Devi Suktam. Because Devi Suktam is a Mahavakya. And Swami Vivekananda says, I quoted an incident from Sri Ramakrishna's life. One day Sri Ramakrishna, during his last two days, he taught everybody, everything has come from here. And then at the end he asked Narendra, what have you understood? He said, everything has come from you. And that should not offend anybody, because he was not telling about Sri Ramakrishna, that Sri Ramakrishna was an individual. But the person who was telling, he was Brahman himself. Because knowing that I am Brahman is equivalent to becoming Brahman. Here also, this is not a daughter of a Rishi, it is Brahman herself. And anybody who does this Parayana, you know, in Indian Hindu tradition, in every tradition I would say, Muslims recite the Koran, and the Christians, they recite the Bible, especially the New Gospel, or what Jesus Christ had taught. Also Buddhists, they recite the Tripitaka, the teachings of the Bhagavan Buddha. And what do Vaishnavas do? Either they study the Bhagavatam, Parayana of Bhagavatam, Rama Bhakta's do of Ramayana, Devi Bhakta's do of Devi Sukta, etc. Markandeya Purana, etc. Devi Bhagavatam, etc. And we, the followers of Sri Ramakrishna, religiously study the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, and the works of Swamiji, etc. This is the most easiest path. Why? We are not worshipping Swamiji, we are not worshipping Sri Ramakrishna, we are not worshipping Holy Mother, they are nothing but divinities. Even to say divinities would be a wrong thing. There is only one Divine, and that is Brahman. So, by expressing her realization, this Devi, she has become Devi. Devi means Brahman. What Sri Ramakrishna calls, what you call Brahman, I call as Shakti. Shakti and Brahman are opposite and reverse of the same object. So, this is the expression of the realization of Sadhika, and she has become one, both with the Nirguna and Saguna Brahman. And in this, there are eight mantras are there. We have started the first mantra. But what I wanted to highlight, to point out two points are there here, very important points. By identifying herself with Saguna Brahman, what we call, she has become the Parashakti, she is Durga, she is Lakshmi, she is Saraswati. And this Devi Shaptashakti, three stories are there. So, exactly, Mahakali, Mahasaraswati and Mahalakshmi. That is to say, we make the divisions, this is Saraswati, this is Lakshmi. But even our Ramakrishna devotees, everyday they sing, Sarvamangala Mangalye Shiva. We are addressing that Devi as Shiva. And what do we do next sentence? Narayani Namostu The. So, there is no division. As Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati or Kali or Gauri or Parvati, it is one and the same. And do we not do the same thing? Every time we are worshipping Sri Ramakrishna, how do we worship? We do not simply say Sri Ramakrishna Namaha. No, we do not. What do we say? Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopaya Sri Ramakrishnaaya Namaha. Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopanya Sri Sarada Devi Namaha. Sarva Deva Devi. And this is applicable to every realized soul. There are so many followers of Ramana Maharshi. For them, their Aradhya Devata, their chosen deity is Ramana Maharshi. It is not the individual Ramana that we know. It is the same thing as Rama, as Krishna, as Buddha, as Jesus. This is a point. One of the points I wanted to highlight. What is the second point? Very interesting point. Are there some special manifestations called Adhishtatru Devatas? Or can any realized soul become Adhishtatru Devata? We have plenty of examples. This Vaak Supta itself is one of the examples. That means, since the beginning, it is realized. One who realizes God becomes God. So, there is no question of an individual Rishi, an individual Sadhaka. That would be the case before realization. After realization, one can worship. That is why Upanishad itself tells, That is, one who is desirous of obtaining any power in this world, whether it be wealth or knowledge or the ability to overcome enemies, they can meditate upon any realized soul. Because they are not individuals any longer. They are the only truth, which is called Brahman. So, what is the second point? Any realized soul becomes Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopa. So, Guru cult also, the same teaching is followed. If somebody is there, has immense faith in the Guru, and very soon, the Guru becomes transformed into God Himself. And that is indicated crystal clearly, Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwaraha, Guru Sakshat Param Brahma, Tasmai Sri Kurve Namaha. In fact, not only Guru. Many, many Gurus are there. Mother is a Guru. Father is a Guru. A teacher is a Guru. And everybody else can be a Guru also. Anybody can be a Guru, provided we are fit disciples. And to illustrate this, we have in the Bhagavatam, a story of an avadhuta. And whom did he have? None of the human Gurus. 24 Gurus, including a bird, and a plant, an animal, anybody, anybody can be a Guru. Anybody from whom we can learn a lesson is a Guru. What is Guru? Knowledge. If we can learn something, become better by that teaching, or that example, then that is that person, that event, that experience, becomes a Guru. So what is the point? Point is, every realized soul, previously he might be an individual, but once the person realizes his or her real nature, they can become. In anybody's eyes, if anybody has got Shraddha, then Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopa. Because if anybody meditates upon his Guru or the person in whom they have faith, so this is my God. And God means Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopa. So there is no bar. Unable to understand this marvelous teaching, which of course is crystal clearly expressed in the Rig Vedic truth, Ekam Sat. Truth is one. But Viprah Bahudha Vadanti. The sages call him as Jesus, as Buddha, as Rama, as Krishna. So if we study history, Rama was a human being. Krishna was a human being. Sri Ramakrishna was a human being. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a human being. Anybody can be transformed, worshipped as God himself. But the third point, a corollary of the second point is even more important. Supposing a person is not a realized soul, but another person has complete faith in that and considers that person, this is my Guru, I consider this person as my Guru, as Sakshat Bhagwan, then can I progress in spiritual life? Yes, definitely. It is so long as anybody considers the other person not as a human being, but as God himself. And what is God? Satsvarupa, Chitsvarupa, Anandasvarupa, Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma. If we can have that attitude, whether that person is a realized soul or not, this person can attain to perfection. And not only in spiritual life, in any life, any field. Very interesting, Mahabharata story of Ekalavya. Arunacharya had rejected him, which he should never have rejected. But the most important factor is, you might reject me, but I will not give you up. So Ekalavya went and he became even a better archer than even Arjuna himself, whom Arunacharya himself has guided. So this removes a terrible burden. If somebody criticizes our Guru, your Guru is not a God realized soul, it doesn't matter. For me, my Guru is my God. And I chose myself. The responsibility is mine. That is why the Bengali expression is very beautiful. Even if my Guru decides or visits a toddy shop, means the most unmentionable place, but for me, He is only Paramanandasvarupa. If this attitude can be maintained, and what this person realizes, is only Paramanandasvarupa. And this also points out to us a very important factor. It is not whom I worship. If a person worships God, but changes his mind and thinks, after all you are a human being, for example Rama or Krishna, then that God himself becomes a human being, weak, incapable of helping anybody. But if this person considers even a very ordinary person as God himself, then he will become a realized soul. I will give an example. But before giving an example, I want to cite our Hindu scriptures, tell us every wife should consider her husband as God himself. The husband must become what is called God himself. My husband is God himself. If this attitude is maintained, whether the husband is a drunkard, a lecherous fellow, or a cheater, it doesn't matter. She becomes an enlightened person. So this is how, this is very closely related to the some people's philosophical view, world view, which is called Drishti Srishti Vada. If I consider a person as the worst of humanity, then I will also turn into the same thing. But if I consider the same person as God, it will help me. Whether it will help the other person also or not, that is not the point. So that is why Satyitva is so much exemplified. Now there is a story. There was a great Rishi and an ordinary villager went to him and said, Sir, I want to realize God. Please help me. And the Rishi gave him a high sounding mantra and asked the disciple to go and meditate. But after a few minutes, the disciple came running to the Guru and said, I am unable to think anything of what you gave. Help me. And the Guru was a very wise person. He realized his mistake. So he immediately asked him, What were you doing before coming to me? I was attending or grazing a buffalo. And whom do you love most? I love my buffalo very much. Alright. Now you go and meditate upon that buffalo as Brahman. And this is the most marvelous thing because if you are asked, so you meditate upon your favorite sweet as your Ishta Devata, will we be able to do? Unfortunately, no. Why? Because we never trained our minds to be steadfast on any subject. So we cannot even think of our beloved human being or sweet or event or relationship, mother, father, anybody. The problem is not on the object. Problem is within ourselves. So this disciple entered into a peculiar hut. And that hut is quite big enough. But the door is only two feet height. So the disciple had to crawl inside. Once he goes inside, he can sit very comfortably. It is quite tall inside. So he went and sat down. And he was not coming out. Guru was worried. It is lunchtime. Disciple was not coming out. So he went and called him out. Please come out. And the disciple said, Sir, I want to come out. But I am unable to come out. How come? Because my horns have grown so big that I will not be able to manage through this small doorway. So this is a story told because the person was told to meditate upon somebody whom he loved. So therefore, it was very easy for him. Once M asked Kursi Ramakrishna, Can I meditate upon my mother as the Divine Lord? He said, Why not? Mother after all is none other than Brahman. And that is true also. Every woman is a part of the Divine Mother only. So this is all related to what we are about to expound. So these are some important points. There were many foreign scholars who had mistaken Hinduism as what is called polytheism. That is, many many Gods. They are terribly mistaken. They have not sat down under an enlightened teacher. There is only one supreme reality. But one has the complete freedom to think of the same reality in any form, in any name, with any quality. That is why Hindus should never have any quarrel, I am a Vaishnava, I am a Shakta, I am a Souriya, I am a Ganapatiya, I am a Ramakrishnaite, I am a Ramanamarshiite, etc. We have no quarrel. Sometimes we forget though. But we never killed anybody in the name of religion. But look at what is happening all over the world. All in the name of terrible hatred. Unable to understand. It is the same divinity we are all worshipping. This is one of the special teachings of Ramakrishna. That is why Sarva Deva Devi Sarupa. I recollect a very striking incident. Once I was in Houston. Somebody came and asked me, Swami, I want to worship Holy Mother. Can I offer her Tulsi leaves? And then I asked, with which mantra do you worship Holy Mother? He said Sarva Deva Devi Sarupini. And what is your question? If Holy Mother is Sarva Deva Devi Sarupini, the normal procedure is Parvati, Gauri, Shiva, Shiva loves what is called bell leaves, Vishnu's incarnations love Tulsi leaves. But what are you saying? Sarva Deva Devi. So she is Shiva. She is Rama. She is Vishnu. And she herself declared it. And then the answer is, the question should never have risen. Because you don't connect to what mantra you are using. So this is our normal Hindu attitude. So there was a funny incident also. A Christian wanted to convert Krishna Padri, one of our devotees. Jesus Christ is a great saviour. Okay Padri, give me a picture of Jesus Christ. And then Padri was very happy and gave this lady a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ. And she ran inside. And her shrine was full of 150 Gods and Goddesses. She placed along with that, started offering a flower along with all others. And one day that Padri visited. He was horrified to see that Jesus Christ had become one of the Gods and Goddesses. He asked her, why are you worshipping? She said, I don't see any difference. Actually, one French monk, I forget his name, he came to India and he established a Shanti Ashram in Tamil Nadu. And he started worshipping Lord Shiva etc. Christianity was horrified. But how dare you worship Hindu Gods and Goddesses? He said, no, I learnt a great lesson. I am worshipping my Lord Jesus Christ only. But I am worshipping Him in the form of Shiva because Hindus are accustomed to worship this Abhisheka, bathing Lord Shiva etc. So, this is the truth. There is no difference. Now, other people might not accept his view or even think him. Unfortunately, I forgot that person's name. He wrote a lot of books also. So, with this background, first of all, this Devi Sukta is Brahma Sukta. Second, this lady had become identified with Brahman. And that Brahman alone has created these worlds. And to maintain these worlds, as we have seen in the Aitareya Upanishad, He created residing deities like a government, farms, and then makes one person in charge of Home Department, Foreign Department, Police Department etc. So, everybody, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Indra, Varuna, Agni, these are the manifestations of Brahman's powers with different names. But there is no Indra, Agni, Varuna, Ashwini, Rudra, Vasu etc. They are all manifestations of Brahman just as a person when he is at home, he can be father, he can be son, he can be husband, he can be brother, he can be grandfather. Or at office, he may be a doctor, a lawyer. If he goes to play, he is a sportsman or a swimmer. Like that, a person's various roles define him by various names. So, every function in this world and that is why Hinduism teaches our body is divided into so many parts, body as well as mind and every part of the body and mind is ruled over or a manifestation of a particular aspect of divinity. For example, the hand is the manifestation of Indra, a leg is the manifestation of Vishnu, a walk is a manifestation of Agni, the eye is a manifestation of Aditya or the Sun and the mind, as I said, is the manifestation of Chandradeva. So, Prana. We have nothing to call our own. Everything is coming from Panchabhutas, everything belongs to Panchabhutas. Panchabhutas are manifestations of the Atman. So, this whole universe is nothing but a manifestation of only that Brahman in the fifth names and forms. I have pointed this out and this is the correct interpretation. That is what Shri Ramakrishna came to teach. With this background, I want to proceed. Just one point I want to remind you. You worship, most of you have taken initiation, so you consider your own Guru. Don't consider your Guru as an ordinary human being. Consider him. The Guru himself, herself, might consider himself or herself as an ordinary, struggling, or even weak human being. Doesn't matter. For you, I want to reach. Take the help. What is that help? Your own opinion, faith in that Guru. That would be the ladder through which you reach the highest. With this background, we will dive deep into this. The first mantra goes like this. OM AHAM RUDRE VIHI USU VIHI CHARAM YAHAM ADITYA IHI UTA VISHWA DEVA IHI AHAM MITRA VARUNO BHA VIBHARMYAHAM INDRAGNI AHAM ASHWITO BHA I move with the Rudras and also with the Vasus. I wander with the Adityas and the Vishwa Devas. I hold aloft both Mitra and Varuna and also Indra and Agni and also the twin Ashwini Kumaras. So this is the plain meaning of the realization, the expression of the realization of this Devi, Vaak Suptam. We now go dive deep into it. AHAM I will just analyze this Sanskrit one. Really, it is very, very easy if we know a little bit of Sanskrit. Otherwise, follow the English meaning. AHAM This Devi, Ambruni or also Vagambruni, Ambruna's daughter, Ambruni, having realized, identified herself, I am Brahman, but again identified herself with the Saguna Brahma, which we call Shakti. And then what is she expressing? Like Vamadeva, I am Indra, I am Varuna, I am all the Devatas. Same, exactly. AHAM RUDRE VIHI VASU VIHI CHARAMI I move with whom? RUDRE VIHI Many, many Rudras. How many Rudras are there? Eleven Rudras are there. VASU VIHI Another type of Devatas. Vasu means wealth. Those who look after us and fulfill our desires. So, we created different Gods and Goddesses so that we can fulfill our different desires. Simple example, if I want knowledge, I think of Brahman as Saraswati. If I want happiness or wealth, remember, wealth is not something which I eat or I enjoy, like we eat sweet. Wealth is an instrument through which we can obtain objects which we think will give us happiness and really it sometimes can help a very costly operation and ordinary person cannot afford it. And even today, to replace a kidney, it requires tremendous amount of money. Many people cannot obtain. But if a person has got money, many people fly overseas. The curious, curiousest thing, experience I had was many people, they go to America, etc. to get their operations, even their teeth set. But many I know who fly to Bombay, to Madras to get treatment because there are better, western trained Indian doctors. For example, Shankara, one Shankar had established Netradaya in Bangalore, in Chennai, I don't know where else. But he is one of the most expert eye doctor in this world. Not eye doctor, EYE doctor. So, many people fly there and with the amount they have to spend natively, here they can come, they can get treatment, they can roam about in first class hotels, enjoy everything and go back. So, many people go to Poland for getting their teeth treatment. Anyway, wealth is an instrument. It is an indirect way to become happy. Lakshmi Devi is wealth. But wealth will not give us happiness unless we are fit to use it. But if we pray, O Mother, You are Ananda Swaroopini, which Ramakrishna used to say all the time. Ma Anandamayi Ma You are the embodiment of Ananda. That means what? Do not deprive me of Ananda. There is a beautiful Bengali song, O Ma Anandamayi Hoye Goma Nirananda Korona Do not make me unhappy because you are the very embodiment of Ananda. You are Ananda Swaroopini. So, I move with the Vasubahi, the deities who bestow upon us, upon the people who are ready to receive. Our part is not only to pray, but the capacity to experience. For example, if you want to have knowledge, you should have a sharp mind and of course, you should have a very healthy body, which is the very first requirement. And one should not be lazy. I want to be lazy and I want to become a Kalidasa. That is not going to happen. So, wealth, even to experience wealth, one must have a tremendous amount of capacity to enjoy. But pray to the Mother, You are Ananda Swaroopini. Grant me Nirananda Amayi Koronama. If we can pray, there is no need for wealth. She will make you very happy. Without any botheration, worry, a person can become very happy. So, I move along with Rudra's Vasubahi and then continuing in the same stream, Adityaihi. That is the sons. How many sons? Dvadasa Aditya. Dvadasa means twelve. How come? Are there twelve sons? No. The time is, every year is divided into twelve parts. So, every month, the phase of the son is changing. And therefore, for every month, the son god gets a different name. That is why they are called Dvadasa Aditya. And then, Vishwadevayi. Vishwadevayi means many, many number of gods trying to fulfill many of our requirements. Continuing, Aham Mitra. I am manifesting in the form of Mitra. What is Mitra? Here Mitra means Surya Deva only. What is this Surya Deva? Mitra, Remember, these are all Vedic gods. At the time of the Vedas, the Rishis used to worship, not as we worship Rama, Krishna, etc. That is Auranic Age. But in the Vedic Age, these deities, natural deities, Rudras, Vasu, Ashwini Kumaras, Indra, Agni, and then Mitra, Varuna. Even today, we use those words. Remember, this is Vedic time, Rig Vedic time. Many, many thousands of years back. Seven, maybe seven thousand, maybe eleven thousand years. We don't know. According to our Hindu view, Vedas are Paurushayas, Anadi, beginningless. Only anybody who is fit, they will receive revelation a small bit, just as a small pot can be filled with water and it becomes full, it cannot contain anymore. So Aham, this Devi, I as a Saguna Brahma, I am the Sun, I am Mitra, I am Varuna, and then I am Indra, I am Agni, and I am the Ashwini Kumaras. The most important deities have been outlined here. Now, a little explanation is necessary. The summary of what she wants to say, I am wandering, moving, that is one meaning, but the deeper meaning is, I am manifesting as Rudras, as Vasus, as Adityas, as Vishwadevas, as Mitra, as Varuna, as Indra, as Agni, as Ashwini, or as Rama, as Krishna. That is what Sri Ramakrishna's profound teaching, He who was Rama, He who was Krishna, the same is manifesting in this age as Ramakrishna. So don't stop with Rama and Krishna. So, I was Jesus, I was Buddha, and I was Chaitanya. Sri Ramakrishna himself had many, many visions of himself as Chaitanya and Nityananda. And they both merged. Many visions are there. And his Guru, Bhairavi Brahmani, had also many visions. But you see, very interesting thing, you know, everything depends upon our mentality. His Advaitic Guru, Totapuri, never had a single vision of Sri Ramakrishna as anybody else, excepting a great disciple. But later on, he had to salute, and, I took 40 years, and my disciple, just, I uttered the mantra, asked him to meditate, expecting him to call me out after 15 minutes. Your teaching is not working. I am very hungry. But no. Three days, Sri Ramakrishna was sitting exactly in the same posture that the Guru left him. And the Guru was an expert in physiognomy. And he examined the body of Sri Ramakrishna and said, this is a true Brahma Gnani. And this is a science which we have very little clue that by just examining the physiognomy, a person's inner, his mental makeup, psychological makeup can be very well understood. And the modern psychologists do not accept it. Modern doctors, medical doctors do not accept it. But it is a very common thing. Sri Ramakrishna often used it to examine the physiognomy, whether this fellow's body is a bony body or a sony body, and then come to a conclusion. One example I am giving. Somebody remarked about Narendra. He is a dry fellow. He is a Gnani. Immediately the blow had come. Sri Ramakrishna looked at that devotee and said, but nobody can have such beautiful eyes excepting Narendranath. Lotus like eyes. These are the signs of a great Bhakta. And everybody thought Sri Ramakrishna used to go into ecstasy, shed tears, sing, dance, and even the slightest reminder used to send him into deep Samadhi. Whereas it was very difficult for Swami Vivekananda to enter into all those modes. So even though in the presence of Sri Ramakrishna, he had to go through all those things. The power of Sri Ramakrishna was irresistible. But then later on, he himself said, Sri Ramakrishna was all Bhakti outside, all Jnanam inside. I am all Jnanam outside, but all Bhakti inside. What a marvelous thing for us to understand. So coming back, I am not moving. I am manifesting as Rudra. That means if anybody contemplates me as Rudra, I am going to fulfill his desires as Rudra. There was a very interesting incident. One's holy mother, after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna, she was taken by some of the devotees like Balaram, Vasu's wife, etc. to Vrindavana. And she was in a high mood. So once, she became completely identified with Sri Ramakrishna. Her very voice had changed. And you know, Sri Ramakrishna, as a human being, had certain habits. For example, if somebody offers what we call the betel leaf, he had his own special way of cutting the ends of the betel leaf. And then the beginning, what you call a little bit of stem will be there. And holy mother used to do it in a different way. But then one day they found she was in deep ecstatic mood and the way she was cutting was exactly like Sri Ramakrishna. The way her voice was exactly like Sri Ramakrishna. And everybody was astonished because holy mother's voice was not like Sri Ramakrishna's voice. But that day, it assumed Sri Ramakrishna's voice. Gopalarma often used to identify herself with Gopala. But the moment Sri Ramakrishna hears that Gopalarma is going to come and meet me, he used to become Gopala himself. Even though sometimes Gopala's mother herself criticized him and said I don't like this stiffy Gopala. I want my Gopala smiling, talking, singing, crawling all over me and all those things. Anyway, what I am trying to tell, Brahman has become this world. Brahman has become the Adhidaivika. Brahman has become the Adhibhautika. Brahman has become the Adhyatmika. But in this first mantra, the Ambruni Rishika is expressing her realization I am the Rudras. I am the Vasudevatas. I am the Aditya Devatas. I am the Vishwa Devatas. I am the Mitra Devata. I am the Varuna Devata. And the beautiful word Vibharmi means I only support. That means I only manifest as Indra. That means I am Indra. I am Agni. And I am also Ashwini Kumaras. So here, as I mentioned earlier, there is a beautiful Bhashyam on the entire Rig Veda Samhita and there was a great soul called Shayanacharya and he has written Bhashyam. And as I mentioned earlier, he and a team of other Veda Vaidika Pandits have worked, labored hard for more than 25 years and something Shayanacharya himself commented but rest others had to complete later on. So this Shayanacharya is telling us in the beginning there was a Maharshi called Ambruna and he had a daughter and this daughter became a Brahman realized soul, Brahma Gnani and then she is like Gargi, like Maitreyi. So she had also become Brahman. How did she become Brahman? Through practicing severe austerities and realized her oneness with Brahman. And when she realized that she was one with Brahman and then she became Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma not only Aham Brahmasmi Aham Sarvaha Asmi Aham Sarvam Abhavam I became everything. So who is this Brahman? He is called in Puranic language Sachidananda Parabrahman Taittiriya Upanishad describes Brahman as It is same thing as So whatever prayers she seems to address to Paramatma now became a prayer to herself. Whom is she praying? Before realization I am the Sadhika and you are the Sadhya You are the God I am Bhakta and you are Bhagwan But after realization I am Bhagwan There is no Sadhika at all So whom is she praying? Myself I am praying myself I am Brahman Having attained Tadatmiya Tadatmiya means Tadatma One complete Oneness She is expressing her realization I am that supreme ruler I am this world I am also a ruler of this world But instead of saying I am also the rulers of the world Not that there are many No, only one power Like you know when we say government It is one power But Home Minister, Finance Minister and Science Minister, Education Minister Foreign Policy Minister etc. So the same power according to the different functions is called by different names I have realized my identity with Brahman Therefore I am Surya I am Manu Whatever exists in this universe is none other than Myself Earlier I told you Ram Krishna taught Swamiji Everything came from here And Swamiji immediately realized that everything came from you That means you are Brahman And Holy Mother says I am Mahamaya What was she indicating? I am Saguna Brahma The whole universe has come And in confirmation What did she say? That Mukti is in my hands And I will come to that So this Vaak Sukta Ambruni Vaak Sukta Devi Sukta has been commented not only by Shayanacharya who was an Advaitin but many Vaishnava teachers also and then they identified her some with Lakshmi some with Vaak Saraswati How? Like just now I mentioned Ram Krishna Holy Mother is also worshipped as Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopa Sarva Deva Devi Swaroopini And it is not because we are fanatical We should never become fanatical Because there is only one truth, one reality You can call it Brahman You can call it Gods and Goddesses You can call it Jeevatma It doesn't matter And then according to the Devi Bhagavatam in the especially Markandeya Purana also from where this Devi Saptashati at the end of it whoever is doing Parayana devoted recitation of the Durga Saptashati consisting of 700 and odd slokas they must recite Devi Devi Suktam as part and parcel of that Parayana So this is this is the way that our Rishis are inculcating into our mind don't call God as either as female male, gender doesn't enter at all but having said that it is easier and much more spontaneous to call upon God as a Divine Mother But here, I am the Indra I am the Agni and Indra is Devaraja and in the Vedic literature he is called the Devatanam Adhipati He is the highest status. In Kena Upanishad he was the first person to realize by the grace of the Divine Mother Hayamavati that the victory that you obtained is only because of my grace and with that, that means what? The Yudha The battle is nothing but the inner battle that goes on between Gnanam and Agnanam Every Sadhana is nothing but Daivasura Yudha Kurukshetra war between the good tendencies and Samskaras and the evil Samskaras Ultimately, the teleological urge, the purposive action will overcome all the negativity and one realizes Aham Brahmasmi So Indra also is called the presiding deity of strength and so all the other Devatas also So whatever is brilliant whatever gives us light whatever burns the power behind every single deity that pure consciousness which is manifesting controlling and bestowing its grace it is nothing but Brahman So this is what is said There is also called Havyavahana Agni In the context, I am Indra I am Varuna I am Agni Agni Devata and Agni Devata we know is called Havyavahana Havya means Havis Havis means offering For example, Indra is Vaha If we say a fire as a medium, as a postman so to say as you Gmail nowadays, so it will go to the proper address and our offering is given and then his blessings are what he wants to give Agni Devata is brought back to us, that is why Agni's function is to work as a go-between in between human being and the gods and goddesses is called Havyavahana So if we say Indra is Vaha, it will go to Indra etc So there is an interesting thing that Swami Harshanandaji remarks quoting Shankaracharya that Shankaracharya said in one of the things in ancient days, people were so clean and so pure that whenever they were doing these Vedic sacrifices and then this Indra, Mitra, Varuna etc used to be physically present and then accept not that one has to send it through postman Agni Devata but they are there to receive directly from the worshipper himself for example Daksha Igna everybody was invited Rudra was not invited and Parvati herself I don't want to go into that big story but it is very significant story which perhaps I will touch upon in my next class but he was taught a good lesson everybody came and received because he was such a great soul so what is that we are talking about that I am all the Devatas and then Shayanacharya he says something very very wonderful before I go further I just want to touch upon it Shayanacharya says that the first mantra of this also indicates I am the Mahamaya and to reinforce it we have in the Lalita Sahasranama Mithya Jagad Adhishtatri Muktida Muktirupini I am the ruler, I am the creator Adhishtatri, substratum of this Mithya universe, Mayik universe and I am of the nature of Mukti Muktirupini not only that, whomsoever pleases me upon them I bestow Mukti, Muktida I am capable of giving Mukti to that person, that is what Holy Mother says, I am capable of giving Mukti, Mukti is in my fist I can give instantaneously upon whomsoever I want to bestow upon it, there are beautiful points which we will talk about in our next class Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayoh Saritva Pranamami Mohammoh May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vekananda bless us all with Bhakti Ramakrishna