Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 18 on 30 April 2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadaam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamaam Imuhurum Oh Om Sahanaavavatu Sahanao Bhunattu Sahaveeryam Karavavahai Tejasvinavaditamastumavidvishavahai Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hare Om Om May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge. May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge. May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill will toward each other. Om Peace Peace Peace be unto all. We are studying the third chapter of the Shweta Shatra Upanishad. This third chapter and also another three chapters. Remember, Shweta Shatra has got six chapters. All of them deal with the nature and different aspects of the Parabrahma and popularly called as Rudra and prayers and Stuti, eulogies are offered to him and prayers so that the seeker will obtain the grace of God. In this third chapter, the most important point is Rudra is the name of Parabrahman and he is one and there is no other one and he is the creator, he is the sustainer and he is the destroyer and he is inside and outside as the whole world and he is inside within every creature and as he creates, he is responsible for maintenance and he is also responsible. He will see that until every seeker, every child of his, every created being preaches God, attains that realization, I am one with the Parabrahman. So with this, we are talking about the universal form. In our last class, that's what we have been dealing with. This divine Lord, Parabrahman, we can also call him Rudra, we can also call him Saguna Brahma. His eyes are everywhere, his faces are everywhere, his arms are everywhere, everywhere are his feet and it is he who endows men with arms and birds with feet and wings and men likewise with feet. Having produced heaven and earth, he remains as the non-dual manifested reality. What does it mean? Very simple. He alone exists and when we think of through the mind, he appears with Nama, Rupa and Guna. When we go beyond the mind, there is no question of second one, description, speaking of him, etc. And exactly, I mentioned yesterday, like the Purusha Suktam which starts and Narayana Suktam which also starts like that and in the Bhagavad Gita also, Arjuna was seeing this Vishwa Rupa Darshana. That is, the Bhagavad Gita is nothing but the essence of all the Upanishads, hence same ideas are given. But let us keep one point in mind that this Shweta Shatra Upanishad is very closely related to Shri Ramakrishna just as Shri Ramakrishna advocates us. Our goal is to realize that supreme reality but our Upasya Devata, the Ishta Devata can only be Saguna Brahma and our attempt should be from the state that we are to move to that oneness. What is our state? That I am separate, you are separate, I have a body, you have a body, everybody has a body. No, all bodies are His, all individuals are He, the entire objects of experience is He, everything is He. And that is said here, He is the creator and He Himself has become the creation. He is the creator, He Himself has become the creator. That means He is only there, no one else is there. Let us look at it, Vishwa Taha Chakshohu, that is wherever there is an eye, that is He. Wherever there is a face, a mouth, that is He. Wherever there are hands, that is He. Wherever there are feet, it is He. And then He said, what about the birds that fly in the sky? Sam patatrai, sam dhamati, He joins as it were, pahu bhyam, with wings and also with a tail. It is only indicative, the whole body is nothing but Brahman, the mind is nothing but Brahman, everything is nothing but Brahman. And then these creatures also require space, also require food, and dhyava bhoomi janayan. And so He created, He created heaven, He created the earth and He also created the hell. What for did He create? Because it is all Leela. What is the Leela? He had given us a manual, oh man, you have to behave like this. Remember, karma phala is applicable only to conscious human beings. It doesn't apply to children, it doesn't apply to non-human beings, it doesn't apply to realized souls, it doesn't apply to people who are mad, it doesn't apply to those who do not have understanding. That is, karma phala is applicable to those who take responsibility, feel egotism, I am the doer, therefore I must be the enjoyer also. That is said here. So according to our karma phala, some people are given higher happiness called dhyava or higher lokas. Some people mixed happiness and unhappiness because of the karmas that we have done and we are doing now. And for them, prithvi, some people do more evil, adharmic actions, for them, hell. But He is the one, this idea is being instilled, drilled into our brains, nothing exists. Who is the being who goes to heaven? It is only that Parabrahma. Who goes to hell? Parabrahma. Who is living on this earth? Parabrahma. Who is human being? Parabrahma. Who are the mountains? Parabrahma. Rivers? Parabrahma. And that is being reinforced in the fourth mantra. Not only He created heavens, there must be people. People living in heavenly world, they are called devas. Devas means higher beings, those who have done great dharmic actions and as a result, they are enjoying that place. That is what is said, Yo devanam prabhavasya udbhavasya. He who is the creator of the gods. And udbhava means what? Those who endure them. You have got extra powers, you are superior in the manifestation as Atman, everybody is same. As manifestation, you are superior. So, He is called Rudra and yesterday we have seen, He who makes evil people shed tears only with the purpose of making them good and He gives anandam janayati. Those people who do good, He gives happiness and He is Maharshi. Here Maharshi means all-knowing, the person who knows everything. And Vishwaadhipaha, He is the ruler of this world, which we have seen in the very first mantra. Not only that, no one is superior to Him. That means His is the most superior position. That means the goal of everybody is to worship Him, surrender Him and then reach Him. Realization means becoming one with Him. Realization means I do not exist separately, only God exists. Realization means that manyness will go, only oneness will remain. And then He is the creator of Hiranyagarbha, Purvam. That is He became first Saguna Brahma, endowed or associated with Maya of three qualities. Sattva, Prajastha and Tamas and Ishwara manifested as Hiranyagarbha and Hiranyagarbha manifested as Virat. And Virat is the universal aspect of waking state. Hiranyagarbha is the universal aspect of dream state. And Ishwara is the universal aspect of deep sleep state. And we are all within that. So when I identify myself with the waking state, as a waker, I am part of the Virat. When I am dreaming, I am part of the Hiranyagarbha. When I am in sleep, called Prajna, I am part of the Ishwara. In other words, reverse it and say, excepting Ishwara, there is nobody else. So He is the Omniscient Rudra, All-Knowing Rudra, the creator of the Gods. And also He who bestows all their knowledge, all their powers. And who is the supporter of this entire universe in the form of Sat, Chit and Ananda. He who, in the beginning, means before creation, gave birth to Hiranyagarbha. Now, prior to that, Ishwara, Rudra, Parabrahma, Saguna Brahma, may He endow us with right understanding, clear intellect. And the same mantra again comes in the fourth chapter as twelfth mantra. So this is a prayer. We can say it is Rudra Gayatri for obtaining a pure, auspicious and subtle intellect. Remember, Ramakrishna says, a pure mind is pure intellect. A pure intellect is pure Atma. There is no difference because pure mind means pure knowledge. Pure knowledge means there is only I am Brahman. That is called pure knowledge. What is this purpose? O Lord, You endow us with... This is a beautiful prayer like Gayatri. Saha, that Rudra, all of us. Naha, everyone of us. Shubhaya, Buddhiya, Sanyunakthu, let Him unite all of us with right intellect, pure intellect. And what is pure intellect? Shubha Buddhi. What is Shubha Buddhi? That which finally unites, destroys the separation, the idea, I am separate from God. That intellect which destroys that one, this is called prayer. This is also called Sharanagati. Every Gayatri mantra is nothing but Sharanagati. And we, the children of Shri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother, we also have our own Shri Ramakrishna Gayatri, Sharada Devi Gayatri. This is how it goes. Om Ramakrishnaya Vidmahe, Gadadharaya Dhimahe, Tanno Hamsa Prachodayat is Ramakrishna Gayatri. Om Ramakrishnaya Vidmahe, Sharadeshwara Dhimahe, Tanno Durgya Prachodayat. We want to know Ramakrishna. So we contemplate, we surrender to Mother Sharada Devi and She is the Durga. May She cut all the obstacles and endow me with that Buddhi that I am none other than Ramakrishna. So that is the meaning of it. Now we will move on to the fifth mantra. So the devotee again after praying that may He endow me with a Shubha Buddhi, may He also protect me from lot of obstacles, grant me the true meaning of the Veda and make our life pure, spiritual, happy, calm, blissful and let Him root out all terror. According to the Vedas, Bhaya, terror comes only when we think there is something that would be the cause of all fear, all terrifying, getting scared, etc. When we come to know I am you, you are me, then there is nothing to lose, nothing to gain and there would be no fear at all. This is another way of saying fear is separation and fearlessness is complete identity. So this is how the fifth mantra says addressing to Rudra, O Rudra, like this, Yathe Rudra Shiva Tanoh Aghora Apapakashini Thaya Santanuva Shantamaya Girishant Abhichakashihi. O Lord Rudra, you show us, you are that most auspicious form. What type of form? Te Shiva, very auspicious form. Tanoh, Aghora, which is not at all terrifying, that means just as a baby becomes absolutely blissful even when the mother is making fearful faces. The baby, the more the mother is making faces, the more the baby is laughing and laughing. My mother loves me. That's why she wants to play with me this way. The baby knows 100%. My mother will never do any harm but she wants to play with me. Let me also play with her. That is the idea. The devotee prays for the revelation of his real form, transcendental form, that is Parabrahma form. So he says, O Lord, you are the person who blesses all creatures. How? That is God's blessing by revealing the Vedas. Here Vedas means scripture. We have to be very intelligent to understand. What are we talking about? Any great soul, any spiritual person, whatever he teaches, that is Veda, that is Shastra, that is beneficial for us. And here is Rudra. His only purpose is to show us the teachings of the Vedas. And what do the Vedas teach? Mahavakya. What does the Mahavakya preach? That my children, you belong to me, I belong to you, we belong to each other. So to make us happy, how can we be happy? When we get out of the bondage of samsara, then only we can be truly happy. But how can we be happy? By your grace, by the calm and blissful self which roots out terror as well as sin. If we see unhappy things, very miserable things, tremendous wars, tremendous tortures, etc. How can God torture? One fact we have to remember. Who created the entire world? God. And can a mother ever do anything wrong to her children? But if the mother is training and then disciplining the child, even when she becomes very harsh, even she may give some beatings, but it is all for the future good, even though at the moment we may not understand it. That is being said here. Here, Rudra, Shivaha and your form is auspicious. Shivaha tanohu. Further, Aghora. Ghora means terrible. Aghora means most pleasant. Opposite to that which is terrible, very hard world. Remember, there is a sect of religious people. They are called Aghoris. And they look terrible, they eat terrible, they live in crematoriums and they cook their food in skulls. They eat all sorts of horrible things, even difficult to mention, even corpses. But they are all followers of Shiva. But you are called Aghora and you are Apapakashini. You are the destroyer of Papa. Kashini means light. Papa means wrong thing. When we come to know with right knowledge, this is poison. Nobody will deliberately eat poison. So, Daya, by that beautiful form. So, Tanuva, through that form. Shantamaya, Tanuna, with auspicious form. Girishanta means, O Girindra, one who dwells on caves of the mountains and spreading joy. This is a very popular analogy. What is it? You maintain, you meditate, you dwell in the caves of the heart. That is why even in day-to-day prayer also, Jyotira Jyoti Ujjvala Hridi Kandara. Kandara means cave. What is a cave? Where it is easy for us to come into contact with God, like the drawing room of a Jamindar. So, O Lord, you endow us with that good buddhi and you root out. Because your Trishola, actually everything that is associated with our Puranic Shiva is highly meaningful. For example, why does he wear tiger skin? Tiger skin represents Kama, Krodha and one who can wear tiger skin after killing the tiger. Why does Jagadamba or why does she ride a tiger? That means she is the conqueror, the victor of conquering all the weaknesses. So this tiger skin represents complete mastery over the mind of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Madha and Matsarya. And what is the Trishola? Trishola, three prongs are there. Why three? Because we have got three bodies. Sthola Sharira, Sokshma Sharira, Karana Sharira. And by the grace of Shiva, His grace comes in the form of Trishola and it pierces. That is, it gives us that knowledge. You are not the body minded or causal body or subtle body or gross body. Then what remains? Shivoham Shivoham. Mano buddhyahankara chittaninaham. Shivoham Shivoham. So he who roots out terror as well as sin. What is sin? To think that I am the body, I am the mind is the sin. From this spring, all sorts of wants, desires, lacks and to fulfil our desires, men do a lot of things. So, Oh Rudra, who blesses all creatures by revealing the Vedas. Vedas which give us an insight into the highest truth behind this phenomenal world. And you reveal only because of your grace and your consideration for the welfare of your creatures who are none other than your own manifestations. If God doesn't reveal the teachings, God doesn't come as an incarnation to show us Dharmastapana means to let us know who we really are. If God doesn't come and make us understand the scriptures, mankind would have remained ignorant. As it is not possible even for a realized man to speak of his experience of the absolute which is beyond words or thought. Who makes a person Jeevan Mukta is only God. A Jeevan Mukta that is a seeker doesn't decide I want to become a Jeevan Mukta. His business is to destroy his false self and jump into the ocean like a drop of water falling into the ocean. Later on that drop will not be there. Only ocean will be there. The ocean may decide to come back in the form of a small river for the benefit of people. So a Jeevan Mukta is none other than Parameshwara who comes back and uses that particular body and mind for the good welfare of the whole world. If God is not gracious then the whole world will be destroyed. Of course that is not going to happen. So Shiva is having two forms Shubha and Ashubha. One is benign and another is Ghora. Both are good. For those who are travelling in the right path his Shanta Rupa is revealed. For those who are trying, struggling to go further away from God his Ghora Rupa comes back. And then seeing that form the person has no option but to run back to the right path. So this is a beautiful prayer for bringing the highest good or revealing only what is good but by the grace of God. And every God or Goddess is none other than Parabrahma and that is what we have to understand. The same similar meaning is being continued. A prayer to the Lord to withdraw his terrible form and shower upon the world his blessings. How this goes we will see in the Mantra 6. YAM ISHUM GIRISHANTA HASTE VIBHARSHYASTAVE SHIVAM GIRITRATAM KURU MA HIMSIHI PURUSHAM JAGAT O revealer of the Vedic truths, deign to make propitious that arrow which is the oldest in thy hand for shooting at somebody. O protector of devotees, do not destroy that benign personal form of thine. Do not hide that benign personal form of thine, auspicious form of thine which is manifesting as this universe. In this mantra Shiva is imagined. He is having a bow, he is having an arrow and he is about to discharge it. Towards whom? Towards ignorant people. But what is the purpose? To kill those people? No. To kill the ignorance. God cannot kill anybody. Remember. Just as heat can only destroy cold, sun ray could only destroy darkness. The sun can never destroy light. Now in this I also mentioned in some of my talks when Ugra Narasimha Murthy, man-god manifested and killed Hiranyakashyapu. Who was Hiranyakashyapu? That egotism, thinking I am the body and I am the mind, he destroyed. That means he took it back into himself and revealed the true nature of Hiranyakashyapu. O my child, as a devotee you were Jaya and Vijaya in your past life but in reality you are neither Jaya nor Vijaya. You are none other than my own self. And that is God destroying the ignorance. God cannot destroy anybody. That is why in the very second chapter of the Bhagavad Gita we see how the Lord says no, this Atman can neither kill nor can be killed. It is impossible. Hanyamane sharire nahanyate. It cannot be killed. And nobody can kill it. And it cannot kill anybody. Then what can be killed? What appears to be false. What appears to be separate from the Atman. That bhante has been killed. Just see, suppose I have a body and because of this body I identify with it and then I say I am so and so. I am very proud. I am very beautiful. I am very rich. I am powerful. I am mafia etc. etc. I can do whatever I like. I am the emperor of this universe. Who is the emperor? A gangster is the emperor nowadays. Because emperors even shake by hearing the words of the gangsters. Like people used to, rich people, landlords used to shake at the very name of Robinson Crusoe. So like that this is the age of mafia. Now what is mafia? I am powerful. I am rich. I can get whatever I want. I can destroy anybody I want. But who gave that power? It is only God. Remember? Then this person is using that power. We say he is misusing. But Hinduism says he is neither using nor misusing. What is this person doing then? If somebody deserves something bad, he will be getting through this instrument. If somebody deserves something good, he will be getting good through this person. Everyone else is an instrument to help us to experience our Prarabdha Karma. That is the greatest truth whether we understand it today or not. So he is telling, O Girishanta, O Lord who dwells in mountain caves. Here you know Himalaya Parvata according to Puranas. But what is called Chidakasha according to Vedanta. And what are you doing? You are holding an arrow. And make that arrow a propitious arrow. But why? How? Because it is an arrow. It is destroyed. It can destroy the body. But the same arrow. See Mundaka Upanishad. Dhanarghretva Aupanishadam Mahastram So the greatest bow is the Upanishad. And Atmanusandhana is the greatest arrow. So pranodhanu sharohyatma brahmatallaksham uchyate apramatena vidhavyam sharvat tanmayo bhavet There shara means a bhana, an arrow. What is that arrow? Omkara. And then Atma. Come very sharpened. And then what is this Atma? Means Jivatma. What is this Jivatma? Take the bow of Pranava and you put this arrow called Atma which is until now completely identified with body, mind and discharge it and the target is Brahman. This Atma becomes one with Brahman. Sharvat tanmayo bhavet. Target and the arrow. There is no separation. They become completely one. Like that Jivatma and Paramatma become completely one. That is one of the greatest Mahavakyas. That is the arrow. We are taking that meaning here. Vedic truths are the bows. And the highest truth is Sharanagati, complete surrender. And with that you aim your purified mind along with the Chidavasa and become one with Divine Lord Rudra or Shiva. Why? Because O Protector of devotees, please do not destroy that benign personal form of thine. That means please do not withdraw. Please do not show. What is that inauspicious one? Your what is called form of Avidya, Maya. Remember when Narada wanted to experience the Vishnu Maya, Krishna Maya. He requested beautiful story. We all know this story. Krishna promised but it must be given. And Narada's mind was not thinking about Vishnu Maya. One day Krishna took him out deliberately. Walked for a long time. Both of them were hungry at noon. Both of them were very thirsty. There was a small river. Krishna sat down and said, Because he is the Lord. O Narada, fetch me. You take a small leaf plate and twirl it so that it becomes a cup. And then fetch me pure water of the river. Narada said, In a trice I will come. He went and entered into the river and then bent down. Immediately the river disappeared. He found himself in front of a small house on the other side of the river. And a beautiful young lady has come and he fell in love. He forgot Krishna and he spent happily talking for a long time. Meanwhile the father of that girl came who was a cultivator. And that man also saw this young man, a brahmachari, unmarried, very beautiful, very intelligent. And just God has sent this beautiful bird into my nest. And then entertained him. And then Narada, the father-in-law gave a hint that you have done enough brahmacharya. Now better settle down. And Narada, before the uncle could take away, father-in-law could take away his word, or have second thoughts, he said yes. And they were married. And then of course the cultivator took him from next day. So that was what is called the happiest day of your marriage. Now you will have to learn how to cultivate. You have to maintain me. You have to maintain your wife. You have to maintain if children are coming. My son, all with beautiful words. And he learned the art. And several years passed. And the father-in-law passed away. He became the sole owner of the entire land. Accumulated a lot of money. Had plenty of children. And one day suddenly there was a flash flood. And then he wanted to go to a higher ground. As he was crossing, everything was swept away. And then Narada was weeping inconsolably. Oh Lord, what sin have I committed? Why did you take away everything from me? And a gentle voice. How beautifully Swami Vivekananda narrates this story. Taking it from the Puranas. Oh Narada, why are you delaying? How much delay? Only 2-3 seconds more. Why are you bending? Just get up. And then Narada came with a start and realized. Just 2-3 seconds only he was bending down. And 2-3 seconds passed. Like 50 years have passed. And then hastily he came down. Then he remembered. It was at his own request. That Bhagavan Krishna had been telling this. Showing him the Vishnu Maya. And then he fell at the feet of the Lord and said. Oh Lord, because of your Maya. I asked you to show your Maya. Let me never again see your Maya. Because when we are dreaming. We don't think. 2 seconds. In 2 seconds you can be in Mars. In America, in Australia. In a dungeon, in a hell, in heaven. Anywhere you can be. Time is absolutely relative. That was the greatest discovery of our Vedas. And in the modern times. Einstein had highlighted it. That it depends upon your mind. When you are happy. So 7 hours will pass away like 7 days. So 2 months holiday will pass away like 2 seconds. When you have to go to office. Especially an unpleasant boss. The same clock which is moving so fast during Saturday, Sunday. Now it is moving so slow. What is wrong with this clock? It is not moving at all. And that very thought makes you weaker and weaker. That is why Monday to Friday are called weak days. And you get so much weakened. Saturday, Sunday you have to take complete rest to recover. That is why it is called weakened. You become so weakened. So you see. O revealer of truths. Vedic truths. What truth? God cannot reveal any other truth excepting the highest truth. Because He knows only one. That is I am Brahman. And He can only give that. I am Brahman. So do not destroy that benign personal form. That means let me never think or lose thought of my Ishta Devata. You as my Ishta Devata. Whichever name I may call you as Rama, Krishna and Jaganmata, Parvati or Saraswati etc. And you yourself are manifesting as the entire universe. And I am also part of you. So here beautiful analysis is done by Swami Tyagishwaranji Maharaj. What is this arrow? One of the Vedic Mahavakyas like Tattvamasi or Taraka Mantra Ramanama or Pranava Omkara. Which constitutes the quintessence of Vedas. And these are the things that God bestows upon us. And then through that all Dvaita or Avidya or Maya is completely destroyed. Hold this in thy hand. This shows that the Lord is always ready to reveal Himself unto His devotees. If they surrender themselves to Him, repeat His name and contemplate on the Pranava and Mahavakya or even Rama or Krishna. This is a beautiful song composed by none other than Purandar Dasa in Kannada. I don't want you Narayana. I don't want your powers. If I have your name and I have your name, I don't require anything else. Because if I catch hold of your name, you will come, Lakshmi will come, Parvati will come, everybody will come. Because Nama and Namne are two sides of the same rope. So do not destroy. That means, O Lord, I would like to meditate on your Saguna Brahma aspect and then I want to become one. Please do not keep any distance. Do not keep me in Avidya or in Dvaita. This is the meaning of this thing. And now these words and ideas of mantras 5 and 6 also we get in Rudram, Namakam and Chamakam, especially Rudra Prashna. And it is a prayer, O Lord, please do not forget me. I may forget you. A baby may forget the mother, but mother will never forget the baby. I am like a baby. I am ignorant. You please hold me. That's what Sri Ramakrishna advocates. Become like a kitten and it only cries. And this is our cry. And these mantras also come in what is called Shatarudriya or Rudra Prashna. Many other places also it comes. That is what it means. So there is a word, do not injure us with your arrow. What does it mean? Do not hide from us your real nature, Brahman's form, because you manifest yourself. Only you are manifesting as this phenomenal universe. But I have fallen into the Jala. Remember earlier the net names, forms and qualities. But if I remove name, form and quality, what remains is none other than Shiva himself. Like you remove the name, the form and the particular usage of any ornament, even a billion ornaments. What makes them separate? What makes us say ornaments instead of gold? There is only name, form and utility. Once we melt, everything is there is only one gold. That is the understanding. The Lord can never injure. Even when we are thinking we are suffering, that suffering as Holy Mother says is a grace of God. So is there any other way to realize the Supreme? No. Knowledge of the Supreme is the only way to eternal life. So through the knowledge of Brahman, the ultimate cause, one can attain immortality. Mantra number seven. There is no other way. Only by knowing Esham, that creator, that ruler, that one ruler, Tam Gnathwa. Gnathwa means knowing him. Knowing him means by knowing I do not exist, only Eshwar I exist. So Tam Gnathwa, what happens? Amritah Bhavanti, until that time we remain Mritah Bhavanti. So after this prayer, we imagine God's grace has come. So what happens? That higher than this, Saguna Brahma is the infinite Supreme Brahman, who is concealed in all beings, in their bodies, according to their bodies, and who though remaining single, envelops the whole universe. Knowing him to be the only Lord, one becomes immortal. What does this mantra mean? Earlier we were praying to Rudra. Rudra represents Saguna Brahma. But we have to know that Saguna Brahma is only meant for the sake of Upasana, meditation, contemplation, prayer, pilgrimage, japa, etc. And once we become one with Saguna Brahma, and Saguna Brahma will not stop us. He will reveal to us. My son, become one with me. That is called in Brahmaloka, Krama Mukti. You are one with me now. But behold, I have the other form. What is that form? Nirguna. That is why in the Khandana Bhava Vandana, we get Niranjana Nara Rupadhara. Nirguna Gunamaya. He is the Gunamaya and he only appears for our sake, so that we can contemplate as full of auspicious qualities. Ananta Koti Kalyana Guna, as Ramanujacharya puts it. So Saguna Brahma is none other than Nirguna Brahma. So this mantra is telling the Rishi, Shweta Shruta Rishi is telling, once you use Saguna Brahma as a means of contemplation, and then don't stop there. In fact, you cannot stop there. Your duty is to reach Saguna Brahma. Once you reach, that Saguna Brahma himself will take you, reveals to you his higher nature. And where is this Saguna Brahma? He is concealed in all beings, every being. Smallest microbe, not only that. He is there even in what we call inert matter, Jada Padartha. As what? As Sat. Chit and Ananda are potentially hidden in every living creature. All the three, Sat, Chit and Ananda become manifest. But in Jada Padartha, only Sat. There is a stone, there is a piece of clay, there is some water, etc. But Chit and Ananda are definitely there. That is what the scientists also have discovered, that what is called inorganic becomes organic. So sometimes a devotee in his state of ignorance thinks, I want to go to Vaikuntha. So he would like to remain satisfied with the form of Lord, with praising Him, serving Him, etc. This he thinks as highest liberation. But this mantra is telling, don't worry, this Saguna Brahma will lead you, the aspirant, first to the personal, then to the impersonal. But coming as it does, immediately after one invoking the blessing of the deity in the previous mantra, this mantra, seventh mantra, seems to imply that the realization of the impersonal absolute is the only highest manifestation of devotion. That is what Sri Ramakrishna says, Advaita Gyan Anchale Binde Jai Chathai Kuru. Obtain the knowledge of Advaita. Then whatever God wants you to do, He will do through you. Do not stop. But we cannot go beyond Saguna. That is called Brahmakara Urute. But do not worry. Once we reach there, that Saguna Brahma Himself will take us to the Nirguna Brahma or Saguna Brahma reveals its nature to all of us. So the next mantra is a very famous mantra. It comes in several of the Upanishads and parts of the Veda. And that is what Swami Vivekananda had told. So by realizing one's identity, that Parabrahma is also called Purusha. So that knowing that Purusha, realizing that Purusha, one becomes liberated, one attains Moksha, one obtains Mukti. That is being said here. I have realized this great being, means Parabrahma, who shines effulgently like the sun beyond all darkness. That is, is beyond all ignorance. One passes beyond death. One escapes the samsara, only by realizing Him, only by knowing one's identity with Him. That I, you, I am that Parabrahma. There is no other way of escape. Remember, this mantra is very popular in the daily Vedic chanting of Purusha Sukta. It occurs in many other scriptures also. In Taittiriya Aranyaka, Vajashraya Samhita, Sama Veda Samhita, Adharva Veda Samhita, Swami Vimalanandaji has given all these references. But for us, that the first part came in the second chapter, fifth mantra, that we have seen, Shrunvantu Vishwe Amrutasya Putra Aye Dhamani Divyani Tastu That was the second part of the second chapter, second part of the fifth mantra. Here, the rest of the other four. So, this is an explanation. This is the Swami Vivekananda combined the second part of the fifth mantra with this eighth mantra of the third chapter, Sretasvatara, and there two lines, here are four lines. So, that is what we have seen. Yujaya Vam Brahma Purviyam Namo Vihi Vishloka Etu Pathyeva Surehe Shrunvantu Vishwe Amrutasya Putra Aye Dhamani Divyani Tastu An explanation of this is found in Shatapada Brahmana. What does it mean? I have known that great Purusha, Parabrahma, and whose brilliance is like the sun. Don't take literally the physical sun. It means light. Light means always knowledge. And light, as we understand, is only light for the eye. But Akasha is the light for the ear. So, all the five bhutas, pancha bhutas, are lights for all the five sense organs. Light means that which gives us knowledge. So, that Parabrahman referred here as Purusha, and he dwells in this body, and he fills in the whole universe. So, this Shvetashvatara Rishi is telling with all emphasis that only one can attain Mukte, only by the grace of God, only by knowing Him. Knowing means realizing Him. Realizing means He is the only reality. I am not the reality. I, You, We, They, It, everything is nothing but Brahman. So, He is bright. He is effulgent. He is shining like the sun. And He alone, knowledge alone, can destroy avidya. And is there any other way? There is no other way except in becoming one. Which means, so long as I remain separate from Him, I have to suffer. Anybody has to suffer. There is no other path to liberation than the realization that one's inmost Self is the birthless and deathless Brahman, which constitutes immortality. And the knowledge of Brahman, that is, I am Brahman, that is called knowledge of Brahman, bestows immortality. But that is the highest knowledge. That is being said in the ninth mantra. Again, once we have understood the earlier mantras, it is not at all difficult. What is it? There is nothing higher than Brahman. There is nothing different from Brahman. That means everything is Brahman. There is nothing greater than Brahman. There is nothing minuter than Brahman. But rooted in His own glory, He stands like a tree. That means a tree is supposed to be a strongest object. It is not easy to uproot it. Like a huge banyan tree. That means the only reality is God. And within each one of us, He is manifesting. Outside each one of us, He is manifesting. A doubt may come. He is like the space within the pot, like the space outside the pot. What is in between the outside, out space and in space? It is also nothing but space. I explained it. Everything in this world, what we call cosmos, is coming from Akasha, space. And what is that space coming from? Atma. There is nothing there other than Atma. That is being said here. The whole world is none other than manifestation of Purusha. Hence there cannot be any thought of somebody being superior or inferior to Brahman. Whatever a man does, any creature does, is God only doing. That is what we have seen. So, Brahman stands alone, by himself as a tree. And He is established in His own glory. Nobody can, by your praising, by your stu, by your stuti, you cannot attach anything greater. In fact, our understanding of His glory, that alone is we are hymning Him. And that too, by the power of understanding He gives us, by the power of speech that He gives us, by the power of the prana He gives us to express it. Brahman pervades the universe as gold pervades an ornament. Meaning, an ornament doesn't exist as an object. Only gold exists. So, Brahman is the only substance in the universe. While the names and forms are all created by maya, maya creates the ideas of superiority, inferiority, different from me, etc. And all this belongs to the realm of the phenomenal world. So, how can I get out? The knowledge in Brahman alone, through maya, appears as this world. And the creator bestows immortality upon the seeker. When he surrenders completely to Him, surrendering means, I do not exist, only You exist. Without this experience, one is bound to be reborn again and again and suffer again and again. This beautiful shloka, mantra is to meditate that excepting God, nothing exists. That is why it is said, Tvameva Matacha Pita Tvameva Tvameva Bandhuscha Sakha Tvameva Tvameva Vidya Pravinam Tvameva Tvameva Sarvam Mama Deva Deva Nothing else exists. I do not exist. You do not exist. Only He exists. Now it is for us to pray to Him, to transform our life, to slowly surrender ourselves to Him. And the more we do, the nearer we approach. And one day, the Lord with His, what is called, inescapable attraction, He will destroy the distance between Him and us and we become free by the knowledge Aham Brahmasmi Om Jananim Sharadam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Padapatmetayoh Sritva Pranamami Mohur Moho May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Ramakrishna