Brahma Upanishad Lecture 06 on 14 April 2024

Summary

The lecture begins by introducing the Brahma Upanishad, which is entirely dedicated to the knowledge of Brahman (Supreme Reality). The central question explored in this Upanishad is - where is this Brahman to be found?

According to the text, Brahman is stated to be the Self (Atman) present within the human body itself. The Upanishad describes Brahman as being everything - it is the Prana (life-force), the mind, the senses, the body, and indeed the entire universe. One who truly understands that there does not exist anything other than this all-pervading Brahman, attains to the transcendent Brahman. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad supports this by stating that there is no other knower, hearer, student or guru, subject or object - everything is that non-dual Brahman alone.

The first chapter concludes with the statement "Ya evam veda sa param brahma dhama kshetram upaiti" - one who knows this, attains to the transcendent Brahman which is the underlying subjective principle supporting all existence.

The lecture then proceeds to the second chapter of the Brahma Upanishad. Here, the same non-dual Brahman is described as manifesting in this world of duality and multiplicity, especially in the form of the individual soul (Jivatma) in a human body. The human body is considered the greatest realm (kshetra) for attaining God-realization, as it is extremely rare to obtain a human birth with the desire for liberation.

The four states of consciousness as experienced by the Jivatma are elaborated upon - the waking state (jagrat), the dream state (swapna), the deep sleep state (sushupti) and the fourth state (turiya). Each state is symbolically associated with a particular deity from the Hindu pantheon:

1. The waking state, where all creation takes place, is associated with Brahma the creator deity. In this state, we gather all the raw materials of experience.
2. The dream state is associated with Vishnu, the sustainer deity. Here we recombine and rearrange the experiences from the waking state in fanciful ways.
3. The deep sleep state of dissolution is associated with Rudra/Shiva, the destroyer deity. In this state, all dualities and experiences merge back into the causal seed form.
4. The fourth state of pure consciousness, beyond the three ordinary states, is equated to the changeless, indestructible Akshara Brahman itself.

Detailed analogies are given to explain how in our everyday experiences, we all manifest as Brahma the creator, Vishnu the sustainer, and Rudra/Shiva the destroyer in the respective states of waking, dream and deep sleep. For example, in the waking state, we "create" or imagine desires for objects we want to possess. In the dream state, we "sustain" those desires through thoughts and planning. And in the state of dissolution (deep sleep), we let go of all those experiences when the body is finally cast off.

However, the quintessential message is that through these three relative states of consciousness conditioned by the mind, one has to ultimately merge back and realize one's identity with the changeless, transcendent reality of Akshara Brahman. This is stated to be the supreme goal (Paramartha) of human life and spiritual pursuit.

The lecture highlights that whatever the Jivatma (individual soul) cognizes or experiences through the senses and mind is not the true Self or Atman. The real Self is the eternal witness consciousness that remains as the immutable substratum in all the three states of experience. One therefore has to metaphorically "wake up" from this dream-like experience of duality and realize the non-dual Brahman which alone is truly real and our essential nature.

To drive home this core principle, the Upanishad gives the striking example that just as we realize upon waking that all the dualistic experiences in a dream were mere appearances without substance, similarly all the dualistic experiences in the so-called "waking state" of this world are like a dream relative to the ultimate non-dual reality of Brahman.

The lecture explains that everything we experience in this universe, from the shining sun and moon, the deities, living beings, fire, prana (life-force) - all of it is a manifestation and expression of the one non-dual Brahman only. There exists nothing other than this all-pervading, transcendent Reality. It is Brahman that shines resplendently in the form of every object and experience we perceive.

Using the analogies of a person moving through different rooms, or identifying with different costumes/roles, it is explained how the same unchanging Brahman appears to undergo different states of existence by mistakenly identifying with the respective "experiences" of waking, dream and deep sleep states through the mind and body. But in essence, Brahman remains ever unchanged and unaffected, like the witnessing person knowing his real identity remains the same in spite of the changing experiences.

The lecture reiterates that just as in the dream state all our quarrels and experiences seem so real until we wake up, similarly all our experiences and dualities in this so-called waking state will appear unreal once we wake up into the highest non-dual Reality of Brahman. The more one progresses through the stages of waking, dreaming and deep sleep consciousness, the more the experience of duality becomes diluted until it is completely submerged in the non-dual experience of one's true nature as the changeless Akshara Brahman.

In essence, the Brahma Upanishad aims to make us realize that the Atman (innermost Self) is none other than the infinite, all-pervading Brahman which has been mistakenly receding into the background of our experiences due to our confused identification with the body-mind complex arising out of primordial nescience (avidya). By persistent meditation and spiritual discipline, one has to repeatedly withdraw one's mind from gaining through the three states of experience, and firmly establish itself in the changeless, witnessing consciousness of the Self, which is one's true identity with the non-dual Brahman.

Sri Ramakrishna's beautiful analogies and personal experiences are cited to illustrate how even animals like dogs, outcastes, simpletons etc. came into close association with him (an Avatar/enlightened Master) and were quickly liberated just by his spiritual presence and teachings. This highlights how the human mind, by virtue of being endowed with relatively greater purity of sattva (purity) compared to other species, has a tremendous potential to transcend its identification with the physical body and attain Self-realization if only it makes the requisite effort.

Several explanations are given from various scriptures to answer the doubt - how is it possible for bound souls stuck in the cycle of rebirth to attain the supreme state of Brahman? It is reiterated that by realizing one's identity as the all-pervading Brahman Itself, and not the limited individual soul, one automatically becomes "Sarvavit" - the All-Knowing.

The analogy is given of Einstein discovering the profound truth of physics. Though during his state of individual identification he appeared limited, once he uncovered his insight into the laws of nature pervading the entire cosmos, he in a sense became the "knower of all things" by gaining that direct cognition of the unifying essence underlying all physical phenomena. Similarly, by realizing one's identity with the all-pervading Brahman which is the underlying essence of all existence, one becomes the "Sarvavit" or knower of all.

In summary, the key points covered are:

1. Brahman alone is the non-dual, infinite Reality pervading and underlying all existence.
2. The world of innumerable objects, experiences and dualities arises due to nescience (avidya), causing us to lose sight of our identity with Brahman.
3. Through the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep consciousness, we get caught up in the mistaken identification with the body-mind-intellect instead of our true nature as the ever-witness Atman/Brahman.
4. The goal of spirituality as per the Upanishad is to metaphorically "wake up" from this dream of duality and realize our essential oneness with Brahman by transcending the three relative states of consciousness.
5. Brahman manifests in the waking state as the Creator (Brahma), in the dream state as the Sustainer (Vishnu) and in deep sleep as the Dissolver (Rudra/Shiva). The fourth Transcendental state is our true identity as the changeless Akshara Brahman.
6. One has to renounce attachment/identification with sensory objects and experiences, gradually withdrawing the mind inward through meditation and contemplation of the real "Witness Self" pervading the three states.
7. ...

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Brahma Upanishad which is dedicated entirely to Brahma Vidya Knowledge of Brahman Where is this blessed Brahman? Brahman is the Self in human body Brahman states, says Pippalada in this text Indeed is the Prana Indeed is the mind Indeed is the Indriyas Indeed is the body Indeed is the whole universe Brahman is everything Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma So what does a person gain by having the knowledge of Brahman? He becomes Brahman That is stated here Ya evam veda sa param brahma dhama kshetram upaiti He who understands that there doesn't exist anything else excepting Brahman Whoever knows all this what does he gain? He attains to the transcendent Brahman That is Parabrahman The underlying support The subjective principle So the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad supports it No other knower there is excepting that one There is no other knower There is no other hearer There is no other student No other guru No other subject No other object Everything is that Brahman alone This is the highest teaching of not only Brahma Upanishad of every Upanishad With this statement Ya evam veda sa param brahma dhama kshetram upaiti The first chapter of the Brahma Upanishad is over Now we are entering into the second chapter Second chapter The idea is the same The same Brahman But as a manifest Brahman How does he manifest? As this entire world And especially in every living creature Prani called Jivatma Especially in a human body human mind This human body is called the greatest Kshetra Because God realization is possible only in a human body Durlabham trayamevaitat Devanugraha hetukam Manushyatvam Mumukshatvam Mahapurusha samshaya We hear stories in the Puranas And even Ramana Maharshi confirms it Sri Ramakrishna confirms it For example there was a dog Which somehow adopted Sri Ramakrishna And it used to move Whenever Sri Ramakrishna moves wherever he moves it follows him And when Sri Ramakrishna goes to the temple of the Divine Mother The dog accompanies And it is more than intelligent enough Not to climb the steps But to await the return of Sri Ramakrishna And dogs are highly intelligent Horses are intelligent I think every animal is intelligent Only we do not acknowledge it And then when Sri Ramakrishna used to come down It used to accompany him And then it will never receive any food from anybody's hands Excepting Sri Ramakrishna And Sri Ramakrishna had named it as Captain And then we do not know what happened in the end But Sri Ramakrishna often used to say He is a Devata Karshadu And what a curse it is What a blessing it is He became the most favourite of Sri Ramakrishna And whoever comes into contact with an avatar Will be a liberated soul very soon So there were so many other stories A temple lavatory cleaner called Rashik And a buffoon who played a very funny part In the life of Sri Ramakrishna Pratap Chandra Hajra And so many other things So it is not impossible either for Devas Or for the lower Other than human births But it is that much difficult Not very easy But even as a human being So what we call a Shudra, a Kshatriya, the Vaishya Not a Jati But through Gunas Those who are endowed with terrible Tamoguna and Rajoguna Very difficult But there must come a time I must realise God So this human body and mind Is nothing but the manifestation of Brahman only And having manifested How does Brahman How does he move about How does he experience So he divided life into three states of experience The waking, the dream As well as the deep sleep state Jagrat, Sapna, Sushupti This we have elaborately studied in the Mandukya Upanishad Along with the Karikasa of Gaudapada But this Brahma Upanishad Is condensing them In the most succinct manner In this second Tyaya Which is second chapter Which is nothing but A beautiful analysis of the four states And we get a few more details also Then all the Gods that we see Including Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara And every Loka Everything is that Parabrahma Then there is a description Of both deep sleep As well as the Nirvikalpa Samadhi When there is the experience of deep sleep Then only Ekameva Dvitiyam Only one without a second But at the same time Even in the Nirvikalpa Samadhi also One without a second What is the difference between these two Deep sleep is limited By time, space and causation Whereas Nirvikalpa Samadhi Absolutely there is no limitation at all And any person who enters into Sushupti He can have a reflected Nirvikalpa Samadhi To give a glimpse This is what you are going to experience With the caveat That it is not only Uninterrupted bliss Anandamaya Kosha But with the caveat That we are not aware completely That I am in the state of bliss like that And it comes to an end Because the seed Of both the waking As well as the dream They are there already Only they are not manifest Like a baby Einstein Einstein is already present And by the way Every baby is not going to become an Einstein But that particular baby Has come with a lot of beautiful seeds Seed of knowledge of physics And he became one of the most world's revealed Rishis If he were there in India He would be called a Rishi By definition a Rishi is a discoverer of truth Mantra Mantra means here Satya Drishta But it could be maths It could be astrology It could be physics or chemistry And it could be any subject But the truth about that subject Is only the absolute truth Manifesting in this form So all these great discoverers They will be named as Rishis For example like Aryabhatta India had produced some of the greatest Mathematicians in the world Even to the nearest accuracy Which these western scientists Had found out only just recently Thousands of years back Our Rishis had found out They measured the distance Between the moon and the earth Between the sun and the earth etc And Vedic mathematics In the simplest formulas Stand unchallenged Unparalleled Even today I don't know the subject Of course don't even ask Ramakrishna He was one of the worst In mathematics students But the point is Knowledge One who has knowledge is called a Rishi And not only that A Rishi doesn't become a Rishi Just by having knowledge But a person who uses that knowledge To spread that Spreading that knowledge Unselfishly For the benefit of the entire world Such a person is a Rishi So what are we talking about? That everybody is a Potentially divine person Everybody is a Rishi Even a person Who has discovered one Beautiful dish How to make it so tasty And it is healthy It is tasty And this person spreads it Publishes it So that anybody Can follow the same steps And obtain the same result And that is what mostly the scientists are doing So such a person will be called a Rishi So in this second chapter So condensedly Without going into so much elaboration That everything is Brahman Whatever we experience Through the five sense organs Through the mind Through the dream Through even the Sushupti And at the same time A beautiful description Of both the Sushupti As well as the highest realization So we can take it in both ways Interpret it in both ways When no duality ever exists But where is that Brahman? That Brahman is there In the space called Chidakasha Herein it is called Hridi Akashe Tad Vijnanam Akasham Tad Sushiram Akasham Tad Vediam Esminnidam And as an Antaryami Ishwaraha Sarvabhutanaam Hridyeshe Arjuna Tishthati And that Paramatma Who is controlling everything in this world Not only the individual But the whole universe He is there And He is Sarvam Otam Protham He is the warp He is the woof He is the Pancha Bhuta He is everything So this is the knowledge ultimately through Sadhana A person will get And then what happens If any person who realizes Who he is That is who am I Sarvavit Iti Is such a person is named as Sarvavit All-knowing Echoing if you remember Mandaka Upanishad Where everything is by knowing one thing Can we know everything? And then the teacher tells Undoubtedly By knowing Brahman Because Brahman is Sarvam Yad Bhutam Yad Bhavishyam Everything Bhuta Vartamana Bhavishya Everything is Brahman only Nothing but Brahman By knowing Brahman A person becomes everything There is a beautiful statement in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad First chapter Fourth section Tenth mantra Where Shankaracharya goes into ecstasy And he goes on telling So the pure consciousness Is knowing everything But it cannot be known And nobody can make it absent It will be always there That Mahabhashya On that particular subject About this Brahman Who is to be found in the Riddhi Akasha That is what Shri Ramakrishna Uses peculiar words Beautiful words Where shall I meditate, sir? Some devotee asks And then Shri Ramakrishna But why? The heart is a marvellous place So you can meditate Because he is always available there In this This is just the essence of What we are going to study And that is what First I will read out the mantra itself It is quite a big mantra Not very very big But quite big So you will have to have some patience Don't become impatient Otherwise you will become an impatient So the second chapter goes like this In this Brahma Upanishad Brahma Upanishad Brahma Upanishad We will come to this beautiful expression as well as meanings Brahma Upanishad Brahma Upanishad If you are having a little bit of basic Sanskrit knowledge Then it is very easy We can enjoy these words themselves Are so meaningful So marvellous Now we will go into a little bit of details Since some of you are attending Perhaps most of you are attending Mandukya Karika Upanishad And other Upanishads also Because the theme is not so far removed Only thing is Mandukya Karika specializes in the analysis of the three states To make us aware Whatever we experience is different from us This is a very important Vedantic principle Whatever we experience is not us Supposing I happen to see a tree I know instinctively I am not the tree I see another person I know I am not that person So whatever I see, whatever I hear, taste, touch, smell etc Shabda, Sbarsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha is not me Similarly extend this analogy Since I am experiencing waking state I am not the waker Since I experience the dream state I am not the dreamer And since I experience the deep sleep state I am not the sleeper I am quite distinct I am the only Sakshi And this is what he wants to say So in Sanskrit we use a word called Sutra Vakya That is to say very briefly state This is what I am going to explain to you In greater detail So that is called a Sutra statement That is this is the knowledge you are going to get So here I am going to give you the knowledge of the four states And as we said really there are not four states Three are the states One who is undergoing these three states itself Identifying by turn as the waker, dreamer and sleeper And as I just now we have seen Whatever I experience is not me So with this small whenever the topic changes, subject changes I will give a brief description of it and then we can enter into it Atha Asya Purush Asya So Purush Asya is Purusha Purusha means actually Jivatma Jivatma is not a bound soul actually Though we are saying it We are saying it is the mind which is saying In deep sleep we don't say I am a Mukta Purusha I am a Bhadda Purusha I am a bound soul I am also a free soul Or I am having happiness I am not having unhappiness etc. etc. We don't say that So Asya Purush Asya Purusha Jiva Is none other than Paramatma But so long as the Paramatma identifies itself And by the way it is called Chidabhasa Abhasa means reflection Chidabhasa Reflection So that is called Jivatma Here we have to understand The description of the True nature of the Jiva Which is nothing but Atma Or Paramatma or Brahma Atha Atha means now We are going to expound Asya Purush Asya This Purusha whom we all know As the Jivatma He Goes through Four types of experiences Chatvari Sthanani Bhavanti Sthana means A state of experience Four states of experience One state of experience Is continuous Three states of experiences Are changing experiences Nabhi Hridayam Kantam Murtha So this Just gives Identifies a particular place In our human body With each state of experience The navel The heart The throat And the head So Nabhi Hridayam Kantam Murtha These are called four places What do you mean? What is it meant by? Navel means waking state Because it is the grossest state Higher than that is the Heart Those who have studied Ram Krishna's description Or Tantric Scriptures description Of the seven chakras What is a chakra? A state of consciousness Is called chakra A state of consciousness When we are completely Aware of the body Mind And also the consciousness That is called The waking state And at that time This Upanishad is telling Our heart Is more or less centered in the Navel And then when it rises a little higher A little more enlightened A little more subtle That is called the heart This is the description Of the dream state The heart And then when this Getting rid of This duality So the higher the state The lesser will be the duality Say for example In the waking state So long as we are In the waking state We know That we are separate From everything else I am me and everything else Is everything else There is no Substitute That I am separate from everything else But the moment I enter Into the dream state And then When I wake up I try to analyze that dream state And say Remember The duality has become less So I quarrel with my neighbour In my dream Then I wake up and laugh at myself That I and my neighbour Are not different at all So somebody Extended this example So I got married In my dream And then I Have a wife So this is me This is my wife But when we wake up Then we say I myself am me And my wife also Everything But when we come to the waking state So long as we are in the waking state We never think No husband will say I am you and you are me So this is the Dvaita That Dvaita becomes diluted In the dream state And it becomes completely Submerged In the deep sleep state And that is called the state of the Throat Sri Ramakrishna's graphic description Of when the Kula Kundalini Passes through all the states And reaches the Kanta Desha Agna Chakra Not Kanta Desha The forehead Agna Chakra Then he says that There is only a thin glass Separating me From complete oneness But everything has become submerged In the knowledge Of the Divine Light So the higher the state The lesser the duality And the lesser the duality The more is a person Both moral And happier also So this is What happens The state of consciousness Reaches the throat And then what is the meaning of Head? Head means That fourth state, Turiya state Which sustains Do we experience Turiya state? I have to be very careful about this Vedantic language So whatever we experience That is not me But when There is a period In between two thoughts There is a period In between two states And that period I don't say I am experiencing I should say If it is Understandable in a human way I am myself Other times I am somebody with relationship To others I am the husband, I am the son I am the colleague I am a sportsman, etc. But in that In between two thoughts And in between two states There is a Period of time When I become completely Me only So we do not prefer to call it As an experience because Experience normally As we understand is A combination of the Experiencer The object of experience And the instrument And the resultant knowledge And it is very difficult To get rid of this idea So all this Is totally different From being myself But we have no word To describe So we say God is realized God is experienced I know who I am But that knowledge Who I am is totally different So these are the Four places It is not that It is absolute truth It is only a graphic description For the sake of Easier understanding Because there is consciousness Cannot be In a particular It is all pervading It is everywhere But it is felt mostly At these places So then he says Asya Purusha This central being Or entity And that Purusha is called Atma Is called Prana Who projects a web of sense functions And intellectual relations And who proceeds Like the leech From one state of consciousness to another Where from suddenly This word leech comes If you remember yesterday's class Karkata Kaha That is the leech So it moves Slowly from one place to another Place This is a very isolated Analogy given Often the spider is given as an example But not the leech And then Chathwar is Thanani Bhavanti So there are the four states The well known So I am not going to repeat too much The waking, the dream And waking The subtler it becomes dream And dream becomes Even the subtlest That becomes the deep sleep And the waking And dream both are Merged in it But retain their seed form That is why it is called Karana Sharira And then It is limited by time Space causation So it is not in our control So it wakes us up And again whole life Until we become free Mukta This process continues So these are the Four places, four states But What are we known as In the waking state Jagra Davastha We are called Vishwa, waker In the dream state We are called Taijasa Or the dreamer And in the sleeping state That is called Sushupti We are called Prajna But The being The consciousness Which puts on Identifies with body Mind That is called the state Vishwa Identifies only with the What is called Subtle body Or mind as well as causal body That is called Taijasa And the Consciousness which identifies Only with the Sushupti state Karana Sharira Causal body Is called Prajna And each state Has two aspects Individual aspect as well as Universal aspect I am just reminding you what we studied in the Andukya So Vishwa and Virat Taijasa and Hiranyagarbha Prajna and Ishwara But the pure Consciousness is ever The pure consciousness It has nothing to do, it has no attachment But it is all a Thought, our thought Each one of our thought About the pure consciousness That is the Chatvari Stanani Tatra Chatushpadam Brahma Vibhati And this Brahman Supreme reality, Vibhati It shines, it sports It assumes, it manifests Tatra means In our life Chatushpadam, Chatuhu means four Padam means states of Experience, it remains itself Like a person He moves Into one room Then his room number Room number A Experiencer of room number A Then he moves Room number A and enters into Room number B or 2 And he identifies with that Then he moves Into room number 3 Identifies with that But the person is not changing But his Experiences are changing Experiences are changeable But the Experiencer Is not changeable That is what we have to understand The same Brahma But as I said When there are no thoughts Then We are Leaving one state And entering into another state In between there is As if there is no State of experience but there is And that is what we Call Turiyavastha But it is not a state Actually because Brahman cannot Have any state He is stateless But for us Ignorant people it should be easier To understand So what are these states called Jagaritam Jagratavastha Swapnam Swapnavastha Sushuptam Deep sleep state We have discussed about it So we will Go further And then these Four states have been given Identified with Very interestingly We rarely come across this idea That is with One deity You know in our Puranas We have got this Even in Vedas also They are not called Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara Brahma, Vishnu And Shiva So Brahma is inevitably Associated with Sattva guna And creating Creative power He is not Having creative power Brahma is the Power Brahma is not having a power Like Einstein has got Knowledge of physics But when he is Sleeping he doesn't have That knowledge of the physics When he is dead He might lose it, we don't know But If any problem is there Say Amnesia Or unconsciousness Then that person will not have it So not like that Pure consciousness can never be Anything other than pure consciousness So in the Jagrat Avastha All creations take place So he is called Brahma What is the job of the Brahma? Creation And what do we become? Brahmas When do we become Brahmas? In the waking state We come across, we gather all the Raw materials And then we close our eyes You see For me it is a very interesting Statement How do we become Brahmas in the waking state? For example You are walking and you see A beautiful house And then you That experience provokes in you It is a beautiful house How I wish I can have it And Depending upon the circumstances I have enough Money and enough capacity To create such a house I can buy it or I can Construct it And then you start, you become a Brahma Now you have become Brahma Creator, creating that House So who created that house? You created Who enters into the house? You enter into the house Who lives in that house? You Remain in that house And You also have the power to sell it To destroy it To remodel it To do whatever you like Now with this analogy We are all Brahmas Creation takes place Then what takes place in the dream state? The recombination That is you can Become very creative Not merely a house What type of house? How many rooms? How small the rooms will be? And what type of rooms they have? As I mentioned My funny experience in USA So I was given a room In a devotee's house Which is having Almost dim light Nothing else is there But when I enter into The toilet 10,000 watt bulbs are burning I was shocked I don't require Any much light In the toilet It is in the living room that I But These creative people What are you going to do? All your decorations will take place only in the Toilet Forgetting Toilet also is the place where you Wash off everything So We become in dream state What we call combinations Of what already exists So What is the job of Brahma creation? Then What is the job of the maintainer, sustainer? He is called Vishnu So he has to keep an eye And he has to rule And he has to reward He has to punish He sees that whatever is created Is kept going on Very well without much chaos Or problem And for that he That is why Brahma doesn't require Any weapons But Vishnu requires lot of weapons There is Gadha And there is Chakra And there is even Shankha is there So many things are there Why? Because he has to maintain So that is what happens That Brahma is the Jagrat Stana Brahma is creation Swapne Vishnu Ho So all sorts of ideas What can I do with this fellow He insulted me I want to do something I have an ambition I want to get what I want Power, position or anything What shall I do So maintaining the whole body mind complex In this complex world Until we completely Give up the body We are all Vishnus We are Maintaining from birth to death What happens is Maintenance only But birth is because of Brahma And maintenance Is the duty Of the Vishnu Then we become Vishnus Who was the Brahma? Myself How did I create my body and mind And this world, this circumstances The families, the parents Through my Purva Janma Karma And then A time must come There is a limited purpose This instrument is not going to last long And the dissolution The time of giving up this And to seek another Body Which is capable of housing This mind Which is gathering so many experiences And that is the job of Rudra or Shiva And here it is called Sushupte Rudraha And of course The fourth state is Turiyam What do you do? You don't do anything Just be As you are Turiyam, Paramaksharam That supreme indestructible reality Paramatma Called Brahman Is equated to Turiyam How wonderful this description is We are the Brahmas When we study some Puranas How Brahma creates There is a God sitting somewhere in Brahma Loka Another God sitting In Vishnu Loka Another God sitting in Kailasa So I wonder what happens in Kailasa Because Frozen So much cold So when Shiva lovingly takes you there And then you will be Frozen to death That is called Layasthana Of course again Brahma And after that After freezing you And then Shiva releases you Into the hands of Brahma Is just pure imagination That's all But we are the creators So Jagratsthana Is equated with Brahma Who is the presiding deity of Presiding state Brahma Who is the presiding deity of Dream Vishnu Who is the presiding state called Sushupti Layasthana Rudra What is the very What is called definition Of this word Rudra Rudra He who makes you weep And we are not merely Talking about Deep sleep state Because the deep sleep state Is equivalent to state of death Because you don't do anything You are not permitted To do anything Similarly when this body is About to be dropped When everybody weeps Probably you also weep I also weep That is why it is the state of Rudra Rudayati He who makes us weep Others weep Param Aksharam The very meaning of the word Aksharam That which decays That which deviates From its position That which changes in other words But Akshara means That which is That which never changes That changelessness is possible only When one goes beyond All duality And it is the supreme reality Supreme indestructible Indestructible reality That is called Turiyam And this Param Aksharam Is another way of describing What is called Paramatma Turiyam Param Aksharam And this is the fourth state And that is the goal of everybody Because we Already are experiencing Jagrat, Swapna, Sushupti But we are also experiencing Albeit unconsciously And that state Has to be consciously Sought after And we have to slowly Transform Both Jagrat, Swapna and Sushupti Are marvelous instruments So what happens We have to learn The art, the technique Of merging This Jagrat into Swapna Swapna into Sushupti And then Sushupti Into, because Slowly you gather everything And then merge it In the supreme reality Which is called Akshara Once we reach that one Then there is no more Suffering or limitation By time, space or causation So this is called Turiyam Param Aksharam That is the Paramampadam This is called This is also called Parandhama, which we have seen At the end of this First chapter in this Brahma Upanishad Itself So who is this Turiyam That is our goal That is called attainment Through Attaining, becoming one With that Brahman, that is called Mukti, and that is the purpose Of this very Upanishad called Brahma Vidya So here A beautiful further description is given Saha, that Brahma, not Brahma Remember, Brahma Is what is Called Sopadhika Brahma That is the creator With name, with form, with function Etc. From whom this whole universe Is manifesting No, what we are talking is That same one And why is this description being given Because This is our day to day experience So for example Let me read first He He, that means the Parabrahma, is the Sun, is the Vishnu Is the Ishwara Is the Purusha, is the Prana Is the Jiva Is the every animate Being, he is the fire And he is the resplendent Yeah That Brahman Which is transcendent Shines within all these So why is this description Being given As you look at the sun And most, for most people Excepting for a few Hindus What is the sun It is a burning star It is nothing But burning gas But what a power This gas has got So this year Particularly is marked by The physicist By the scientist That extraordinary Sun flare they are called Tremendous power Is being thrown out In the form of Huge flares And it reaches the earth In no time And they say if it is bigger Big enough It can wipe out All the stored information Your cassettes Your CD's And your what is called SD's SSD's And your USB's And all the storage Material that you have On which we are so much relying In a flash of a second They become completely Empty Extraordinary representatives Of this Aditya They are called hackers They also empty Your phones, your homes, your bank balance Your everything there And where from they are getting that power This Aditya only So we see the sun That is none other than Manifestation of Brahman So That is why it is called Surya Narayana Then Chandra Chandra is also a Devata He is so adorable Shiva himself is keeping him On his head So some funny Somewhere I have read it That this Vishnu Bhaktas They want to explain Why Shiva is Having the moon See first of all He is called Rudra The Vedic Rudra Devata Has metamorphosed Himself into The modern Shiva And what is his function? Laya. Laya means destruction Ferocious So that is why this Tandava Nritya Shiva Tandava Nritya Unbearable. It is ferocious So Why does he do all these things? After all his name is Shiva Because that is his nature Destroyer He is the destruction Embodiment of destruction Very hot So how to cool him down? How to make his head A little bit cool? So the Vishnu Bhakta said Baba please go And live in Kailasa And he started okay And then he found out That madness Increased only slightly But not much Alright Then we will So you remove all your cloths Probably it will Keep your head cooler So he is not having anything else at all And that is also Not working properly So they brought some snakes Which are the Coldest animals Crawlies on earth So you put all over your body Perhaps it will work That was also not working Then what did They do? They put this moon Moon is called Sitaamshu Makes everything frozen So he put Permanently on his head So that he will be cool It doesn't work So they invented They went to Vishnu And Vishnu asked What can I do? You please send the coldest water That you can From your feet That is fall continuously Abhishekam May be that will cool him a little bit And at last It worked The gimmick worked And then he became so cool He became so happy And then he said I will give liberation to everybody In Varanasi So continuous Rudrabhishekam has to be done Anyway I am just Enjoying a little bit of fun At the cost of this one So you look at the sun You must remind yourself It is Brahman Look at Vishnu Any image, any thought Look at the moon Look at the mountain Look at Ishwara Ishwara means Because this world is going on Wonderfully well How is this world going on? Is there any purpose Any person with a rod sitting there To make this Like the president of a country Or prime minister of a country Or a dictator of a country Yes, but he is not visible But what does he do? Whether it is a Dictator or president Or prime minister To modify something Implement certain laws L, A, W, S You have to behave like this So you have to drive On this side of the road only So like that You go on making a lot of rules And then to Keep those laws There must be Law enforcement agencies Should be there So that is what you see Adhishtatru devatas Not only they make the laws Which can Function as a smooth Continuation of Our life on earth Every prana is like There is a beautiful balance Slowly the scientists are Recognizing that there is A marvelous harmony In the world left to nature Everything will be Alright, it may look cruel Some wolves are hunting And eating deer But The American scientists had Found out at great cost Do not Poke your fingers In the laws of nature Because nature Is tremendously intelligent Whenever something goes Out of balance, nature knows How to balance it Whether it is earthquakes Whether it is wars Whether it is famines Droughts These are all nature's Way of balancing things Unable to understand it We lament, we go on saying If there is a god He should have been saving us From these earthquakes etc Some quaker will be there Either the dictator Here, dictator there It does not really matter But nature is highly Intelligent, it is self Regulating and Left to itself If we only cooperate with it Our life will be Just like heaven on earth But we do Everything except Destroying everything And it is like cutting down The branch on which we are sitting And this is what we are reaping Now All these descriptions are meant Whenever we experience any of these That means we are experiencing None other than Brahman So Ishwaraha And then you see in every living creature Something that is manifesting Even a mosquito is a manifester And then there is Prana I am able to speak because of prana You are able to hear because of prana Your car goes Because of prana Only we don't call it prana, we call it petrol That's all So Jeevaha Every living creature you see is Brahman only So Agnihi Wherever you see Heating element, fire That is manifestation of Brahman So Ishwarascha Jagrat Tesha Mathe So this Ishwara Tesha Mathe That is manifesting Splendently In all these manifestations But who is this? A Parambrahma Vibhati Is none other than Parambrahma In simple words Whatever you see It exists because of Brahman It is because of Brahman And it gives Contributes in some way For our life In our life So none other than Brahman So Every being is Originating By whom? Because of the space Because of the air Because of the fire Because of the water Because of the earth We are able to sustain In the end When the element of the body It goes to all the Pancha Bhutas only Nothing is wasted here So He means Brahman Again He is manifesting That is how we have to understand The Sun, the Vishnu The Ishwara, the Purusha Prana, the Jeeva The animate being The fire Ishwara And anything that is resplendent In the form of light Or in the form of intelligence Yeah, that Brahman Which is transcendent Which is beyond Transcendent means beyond mind As well as speech And action Shines within all this What is the essence of all this? Whatever we experience Is none other than Brahman And we experience waking, dream And deep sleep That is also nothing but Brahman Everything is Brahman This is the highest knowledge we can get And we will discuss further details In our next class Om Janameem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Saritva Pranamaami Mohur Mohohu May Sri Ramakrishna Holy Mother And Swami Vivekananda Bless us all with Bhakti Ramakrishna