Brahma Upanishad Lecture 09 on 27 April 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We have been studying the Brahma Upanishad. In our last class, we came practically to the end of the second mantra. And what does it say? Na Tatra Deva Rishayaha Pitaraha Ishate When a person really realizes that he is Brahman, there is nobody who can control him, who can command him, who can make him do what he doesn't want to do. There is a beautiful discussion in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, in the very, what we call, fourth chapter. Therein, there is a discussion that if anybody doesn't please the Gods, you know Hinduism believes in so many Gods and Goddesses, and if some God or Goddess is displeased, he can obstruct a person, he can destroy a person. That means, and then they give a very beautiful analogy, just as a human being, if he has got many animals, and every human being who worships Gods, he is an animal, like an animal, like we possess animals. And if we lose one animal, our mind will be disturbed, and we go in search of it until we find it and bring it back to our possession. Similarly, the Devas become highly displeased when a person wants to think about God. Why? This person is going to realize God, he is going to become Brahman, and we cannot do anything. So they feel very, very sad. Nowadays, what they call poaching, the employees, talented employees of some companies, you know there are what is called headhunters. In earlier days, headhunters means there are people who believed that the head should be offered to their own peculiar Gods or Goddesses, and then they get a great merit. This is there in many civilizations. But now headhunting means they want to poach these fellows, they kidnap from one company to the other company, if possible, taking all their secrets on USB, and then they pay very high price, etc. Now, if any company loses one of the most valuable employees, how much they feel for that. So we feel very bad if we lose any possessions. Gods feel if they lose any human being, because we are like animals to them, so we worship them, and they want to be worshipped, we hymn them, and they want to be hymned, and they want us to be like slaves. This was the discussion. But at the end the conclusion comes, if anybody can realize God, then the Gods can do nothing to them. Because, what is the reason? Not because he becomes very powerful, that of course is there, but the person becomes their own self, a realized soul, he becomes Brahman, and he says nothing but Brahman, and he manifests as Brahman, as Indra, Chandra, Mitra, Varuna, Surya, Chandra, etc. In fact, anything that exists is only that Brahman. Therefore, nobody can do anything to one's own self, real self, and that is where a lot of things become very clear to us. If somebody is what we call self-injurious, you know, so many kinds of mental aberrations are there, where a person can slash his wrists, try to commit suicide, cut off many members of the body, etc. So can a person do it? Yes, they do it, and there are so many examples are there, but how could they do that? Because we are not the body, we are not the limbs of the body, they are completely separate, so to say separate. Our Atman is different, body is different, mind is different, so in fact we have to sacrifice them. That sacrificing process is called renunciation, and we need not injure anything, we just develop detachment, and everything will be alright. So here, Tatra, means when a person attains to that state of realization, what happens? Devaha, the Gods, Rishayaha, even Rishis, like our eldest family member, who tries to command the whole family, or a teacher, Guru, trying to command his disciples. And if you go to the Zen Buddhism, you will get a lot of this, very interesting. So a Zen master, he employs some other Zen disciples, when they try to sit for meditation, if their head bends down a little, because of lethargy or sleep, and these masters are extraordinarily observant, they see a person is trying to doze, immediately from behind there is a vacuum, and immediately they sit. Once a person attains to the highest state, nobody can do anything, because he has become the Atman, the very self of everybody. So therefore, the Devas, the Rishis, the Pitrus, forefathers, ghosts, that means anybody else, everybody else, they have no control, that is what we have to do. And then what happens? A realized soul becomes an all-knowing person. Why? Because, This is another famous teaching, especially from the Mundaka Upanishad. A disciple approached the Guru, and then he asked him, that by knowing one thing only, can we become all-knowing? Guru says, yes, of course you can. How can it become? Through reason, he explains, that is, if anybody knows, anybody has the knowledge of clay, anything that is made up of clay, that is being made up of clay, that is going to be made up of clay in future, this person knows everything, because a product is nothing but the same as the original material, albeit with name and form and some quality. So when we realize God, in the ordinary sentences we say it is God, then a God-knowing person becomes God. Brahma Ved, Brahma, Eva, Bhavati. A knower of Brahman becomes Brahman. And the knower of Brahman becomes everything. That is to explain to us, in this universe, there is nothing but Brahman. So a knower of Brahman sees everything as Brahman, because that is the truth. There is nothing, I, you, he, she, it, living, non-living, nothing exists, except pure. We all have come. Entire universe has come only from Brahman. And therefore everything is nothing but. Therefore, ekavijnanena sarvavijnanam bhavati By knowing the cause, anything that proceeds out of that cause is known. Even in future, if somebody, there is a beautiful secret to this, illustrate. Once Ramakrishna had a desire to eat a very, I mean, according to him, a very good sweetmeat called Sandesh. No doubt it is quite good, but there are, I think, better sweets than that. Anyway, so somebody brought it to him and he started chewing it, but with discrimination, went on saying, Oh mind, even this so-called desirable sweet is also made up of pancha bhutas, the whole universe. Our bodies, our minds, living, non-living, everything is made up of pancha bhutas only. The five elements. We know the space, the air, the fire, the water and the earth. There is nothing else. And all these five have come from Atman or Brahman. And therefore, the whole universe is nothing but Atman or Brahman. But here, say Ramakrishna was discriminating. After all, whether it is Sandesh, Sandesh is only what is called representation. It could be laddu, it could be cake, it could be apple pie, it could be anything. Everything in this universe. Anything, both eatable, non-eatable, good, bad, good smelling, bad smelling, everything is nothing but the manifestation of five elements. And therefore, this Sandesh is also made up of, so there is no need for you to be specially attached to it. He said, and then the graphic description goes, he was shifting that sweet from one side of the mouth to the other side, but discriminating. And say Ramakrishna's discrimination is a marvelous discrimination. Once he discriminates, and that is the only time he needs to do it, and then whole life he need not do anything. Our discrimination is just the opposite. We also discriminate. You know, O mind, this is called spiritual aspirants' discrimination, Vedantic discrimination. O mind, everything is made up of nothing but pure Brahma. And therefore, there is no harm in exclusively eating the sweets that we prefer. This is pure self-deception. That is not going to work out. With this, the second mantra is over. What is the essence of the second mantra? Everything is Brahman. And that idea is further continued in the third mantra also. And here, a beautiful analogy is given. Where is this blessed Brahman? Where is he to be found? Where is he means, the question is not, where is God? God is everywhere. But the question is, I remember a very beautiful anecdote. And there was a prince. And his father was a king. And the king employed a very learned bishop to teach what we call catechism about Catholic faith. And then the bishop took trouble. And through questions and answers, he taught the prince. But the prince was an extraordinarily intelligent person. So at the end, the bishop reported to the king, I have completed my catechism. So you can test your son. And then he took him to the king. And then the bishop himself, on behalf of the king, had posed the question, So, your highness, where is God? What was the teaching? The bishop was teaching to the prince, God is to be found only in Catholic religion. That too in the church. That was the catechism that he had taught. Unlike Vedanta, which says Brahman is everything, Brahman is everywhere. Brahman is the only thing that exists. These people, they are fanatical people. So, the question was, where is God? What was he taught? God is only to be found, not in Protestantism, not in Methodism, or any other ism. Of course, not in Hinduism, Buddhism. But only, not in any of the other sects of Christianity. But only in Catholicism. But the prince was very intelligent. And then the bishop said, If you can answer me rightly, I will give you one dollar. Now, the prince immediately replied, Your holiness, if you can tell me where God is not, then I can tell you where God is. If you can tell me where God is not, I will give you two dollars. Because he was a prince, you know, he can give. And exactly this is what also had happened to, if you remember, Prahlada's father asked, Prahlada, where is your Narayana? And Prahlada replied, Where is not Narayana? If you can point out where he is not, I will tell you where he is. So, this is the teaching, which says, God is everywhere. Okay, that Brahman had to be realized. But, what is the way? Through spiritual practice. And what is the best spiritual practice? That to meditate. What is meditation? Deep contemplation on the Divine. And where is this Divine to be found? And that is what in this third mantra, very crystal clearly, has been enumerated in this Brahma Upanishad. But, it is not only here. We get it in, for example, in Kata Upanishad, Angushta Matra Purusho Serero. So, God, that is Brahman, that is of the size of a thumb, Purushaha, He is there in a very heart. This heart gets a very special meaning, especially in Vedanta. That is why, even when a person, a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, meditates upon Him, there is a beautiful shloka, composed by Swami Avedananda. So, this Hridaya, or the cave of the heart. Let us remember this. Hridaya means heart. Heart is not, we are not talking about the physical heart. We are talking about the spiritual heart. I spoke a little bit about it, that the heart is compared many times to a cave. Sri Ramakrishna compares this heart to a drawing room. Where is God to be found? Maybe some devotee must have asked. Sri Ramakrishna was replying, you see, a landlord has got vast lands and He can be found everywhere. But then, most of the time, He is to be found in the visitor's room. So, if somebody wants to meet Him, the most likely place where He is sure to be able to meet the landlord is the visitor's room. So, what is Sri Ramakrishna talking about? This Hridaya. So, this is what is called a spiritual heart because there are three spaces, Akashas are there. One is the external, second is called Chitta Akasha, the mind space. Why? Because space means emptiness. If you want to keep anything, so that place must be empty. If you want to keep anything in your table dryer, then the dryer must have sufficient space to keep small object or big object. Short, if you want to keep a fridge or anything or in your garage, a car, there must be empty space. Many places I have seen in the UK, the whole garage is filled with worthless things and the cars are parked outside with a cover. I could never understand how this can happen. Anyway, so if you want to think, because thoughts are also objects and if the objects called thoughts are to be kept in the mind, mind also must be empty and that emptiness goes by the name of Akasha, space. That is called Chitta Akasha, external world, external space, mind space. There is another space and that is called Chitta Akasha. Many people get confused. Chitta and Chitta. Chitta is the mind. Chitta is the consciousness. Where consciousness can be available in its purest state, that is called Chitta Akasha. That is called the cave of the heart. Even devotees of Shri Ramakrishna, everyday they have to sing, where to get Brahman. In the form of Shri Ramakrishna, in the heart, in the cave of the heart. And what is His nature? He is the light of the lights. Jyoti Rajyoti, Ujjwala Hridi Kandara, Tumi Tama Banjana Haar. Everyday, as per service, this first hymn, Khandana Bhava Bandhana is sung and that Hridaya is brought prominently in this third mantra. Everything that we can imagine, our own body-mind, our own aspirations, our desires, our happiness, our unhappiness, our disappointments, everything is in this heart. With this background, let us enter into the third mantra. Yat Mahat Hridi Chaitanya Testat. The essence of this third mantra is that the heart is the space where what we call the entire world, universe, including our thoughts about God. After all, when we are thinking about God, when we are claiming and fighting, I am a Muslim, I am a Christian, I am a Hindu, or I am a non-believer, or I am a sceptic, I am an agnostic, etc. Everything is nothing but a thought. Every thought comes and goes. But the thought, I am, I am a Hindu, I am a Christian, I am a sceptic, I am an agnostic, I am an atheist, etc. That I am can never be doubted. But what comes after I am, that is called a thought. In fact, when we say, I see a tree in front of me and then, where is this tree? Oh, in the outside, not in my heart, not in my mind as a thought, but outside my home. Where is my home? Outside me. And then, outside my home, there is a tree. And that is a very sweet, mangoes yielding, mango tree. These are all nothing but thoughts only. So if we ask somebody who doesn't like mangoes, then he says, they are not sweet mangoes. Why do you call them sweet? We go on differing like that. In fact, I encountered people in UK who don't like good sweet mangoes. They want a little bit sour. Oh, they are too sweet. I don't like very much. Quite a number of people have expressed it to me. So these are all nothing but thoughts. But even to think that there is something outside, that thought of the outside is also a thought. The thought that something is inside, that is also a thought. For example, a man is sitting in his own room. And then what does he say? Where are you? I am inside my room. So that inside is a thought. Suppose, that room has got three rooms, a kitchen, a puja room, and a bathroom, or a kitchen, etc. And somebody is in that kitchen. And then if you ask that person who is in the kitchen, where is such and such a person? He says, he is outside this room. But what is this fellow saying? Where are you? I am inside the house. Inside also, there is inside and outside. And then where is the mango tree? Oh, it is outside my house, in the backyard, or front yard, or on the other side of the street, whatever it is. So, one is outside, one is inside. And some people, they go even further, that within the same house, there will be so many insides and outsides. If a hall is divided into 5-6 parts, then anybody who is not in one particular room, he is outside. And all the rooms, where are they? Inside the hall. And where is the space? Outside. Is there no space inside? Otherwise, hall cannot even stay, cannot exist, if there were to be no space. That is why, space is the very first manifestation. If you want to do anything, first you create a space. Even if you want to move your finger a little bit, sufficient space must be there for the finger to be moved. So, this inside and outside, these are also thoughts. But we are so much accustomed to make what is inside is not outside. What is outside is not... Now, I am just talking because these are some of the ideas we discussed in the especially Mandukya Karika. And then, you go to bed. You have a dream state. Now, where is your waking state? Outside your dream state. And inside the dream, you are dreaming, you are sitting inside the house, or let us say, you are sitting in one of the rooms, inside your house. And where is somebody else? He is outside. Another room means outside your room, not where you are sitting. So, you are inside the room, and the other person or object is outside the room. Then, it can be a person, or it can be an object. It does not really matter. And then, when you come into the hall, and what do you say? All the rooms are within this house. And outside the house, there are so many other things. So, you are dreaming, you are walking, and you say, I am outside. When you enter into your house, you say, now I am inside. So, from where have you come? From outside. I just went outside for a walk. Then, I entered into my house. Now, upon waking up, where was this outside? Is it outside your waking state? Outside your house? So, these thoughts, outside, inside, good, bad, happy, God, demon, all these things, nothing but our thoughts. And where are our thoughts? Our thoughts are inside our mind. And the mind is divided into, what is called, if they are ordinary thoughts, they are called, within the mind. But if these thoughts are spiritual thoughts, divine thoughts, then, we assign a special place. Anything that we think about God is a spiritual thought. And where do these spiritual thoughts reside? In that Chitta Akasha. Not only in the Chitta Akasha, within the deep, within the Chitta Akasha, there is a Chitta Akasha. Because, whatever elevates us, that is what happens. And in this, just I am mentioning, because the topic has come, many times those who read either yogic books, especially tantric books, and in the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, we get many of these things. So there is something called, Seven Chakras. And many people, when they, too much is talked about this Chakra, and their head starts, Chakkar Aagaya. So their head starts reeling. So there is a, special coiled up power, called Kundalini. Kundalini means coiled up, like a snake, that has become like a, coiled up object. Then it starts travelling. Then there is a, special opening is there, road. If the mind, is only completely occupied with, eating, drinking, procreating, that means purely worldly, it only moves up and down, within the three Chakras. But, the moment a person, looks up and says, there is something, much more spiritual, nobler, these are only surface things, superficial things. Immediately, a new path opens, and that path is called, Sushumna. But if you cut open, a person's body, you will not get anything like that. It is all, purely imaginary. And then, when a person's, Kundalini, starts moving up, then, from, as if, from within, one smaller room. So he goes upstairs, second floor, third floor, fourth floor, fifth floor, sixth floor, and then finally, seventh floor, or the roof, which is called, Sahasrara Chakra. But these are all, thoughts, in the mind. That is why, the definition of a Chakra is, a state of consciousness. In fact, everything is, a state of consciousness only. If a person, is completely body bound, they are called, worldly state of consciousness. But if a person, just gets out, and something, beyond both, the gross body, but, beyond the gross mind also, and that is called, the travel, inside, and outside. So, to make things, very very easy, something very extraordinary, has been given here. That is called, Hridaya. That is why, Hridaya means heart, heart means, in ordinary terms, we say, this person is a, person of heart. That is to say, he feels for the others, he has got love and compassion, he is empathetic, empathetic, etc. But, in spiritual terminology, this is called, spiritual heart. So, that is what is being, described here. In this, where is the world? Of course, within this, heart only. So, where there is world, the world is divided into, Bhuhu, Bhuvaha, and Swaha. So, where we live, that is called, Bhuloka, earthly world. But, some people become, extraordinarily evil. They, do not hesitate, to cheat, to lie, to murder, to harm, mass murder. And history, gives us, any number of instances. This is not the first time, that happened in the Second World War. But, anybody who studies, even a glimpse of the history, they can understand, what happened. So, we are thinking, about that. But, there is a place, where, most, noble thoughts, spiritual thoughts, highest thoughts, are cherished. That is called, Hridaya. That is why, Hridaya Kamalamathe, or, Shuklaam, Varadharam, Vishnum, Shishuvarnam, Chaturbhujam, Prasanna, Vadanam, Dhyayet, Dhyana Mantra, Meditational Mantra. And, meditation has to be done, only in the, Hridaya. And, that is being, beautifully described, with a few examples, that is the essence, of the, Third Mantra. What is the essence? That, whether you think, you are a body, whether you think, you are an individual soul, whether you think, you are a happy person, unhappy person, whether you think, different Gods, Goddesses, exist, and different, natural forces, exist, or, whether, you even, dare to think, that the creator God, Saguna Brahma, or, Brahman himself, is existing, the whole thing, is only a, transformation of the, heart. That is being, conveyed, that is the essence, of this, Third Mantra. With this, a few details, we will enter into. The very first line says, Hridistha, Sarvaha, Devata, Devata, Sarvaha, if we put it in, prose order, Sarvaha, Devata, all the Gods, it says, that were, that are, and that will be, they are all, in the, heart. Hinduism, somebody had remarked, a western had remarked, these Hindus, can never be defeated, brought under control, because, they can create, any number of Gods, and Gods. So, recently, I mean, it may be 100 years, or something back, so the Divine Mother, is imagined, so she is called, Santoshima, what, Bengalis call, Anandamayima, here they have given, Santosha means, tremendous amount of joy, Santoshima, somebody has written, and made a cinema, and then, immediately, millions of Hindus, had become devotees, of Santoshima, there are temples, dedicated to Santoshima, hymns written, on Santoshima, books written, on Santoshima, mantras created, on Santoshima, so Hindus, are very good, in creating, so any, human being, that exhibits, extraordinary power, Swami Vivekananda, used to say, that had, Saint Francis, of SCC, be born, in India, he would have been, made into, an incarnation of God, and there would have been, temples dedicated to him, and special worship, will be there, Francis, Kayanamaha, Idam Pushpam, Naivedyam, Samarpayami, etc, Hindus have, nothing, is it, okay, there is nothing wrong, because, whether you say, I salute Rama, or Krishna, or I salute, Saint Francis, or Jesus Christ, it makes, no difference, not only that, there are so many things, we have to understand, many foreigners, they never understood, Hinduism at the beginning, even today, they do not understand, especially, many Muslims, do not understand, they think, we are all, idolaters, and many Hindus, also, they, criticize Hinduism, as nothing, but pure, idolatry, and even, Swami Vivekananda, criticized it in the beginning, Sri Ram Krishna himself, but, gradually, has been brought, by the power of Sri Ram Krishna, and then, what is it, a Hindu, just takes, a piece of metal, and fashions Krishna, and then, he is called, an idolater, Swami Vivekananda, explained, he is not worshipping, a piece of, Hindu is quite, intelligent, to know, a piece of stone, is much worse, than a human being, but, like a photograph, it reminds us, of the highest God, a thought about God, the qualities of God, are made to remember, just to remember them, we require, some kind of clue, or hint, like when, a mathematician uses, this plus, minus, etc., symbols, that he is not, worshipping them, in fact, he is not, worshipping them, because, he is not, worshipping them, it is just, to remind him, what he is supposed to do, so, anything can be, a representation, of God, because, everything is, nothing but, pure God only, so, that is the idea, all the Gods, why did I bring, the subject, because, all Gods, and Goddesses, because, if they are male, they can be female also, they are nothing but, qualities, we desire, in anybody, any human being, we only, deify them, this deifying, idea, has become, very popular, I will just, touch upon it, because, Hindus worship, monkeys, Hindus worship, elephant faced, God, Hindus worship, what is called, cows, especially, cow is a sacred, animal, and people, never understood, never tried to, understand, what it really, means is, that whatever, makes me, live a better life, so far as, I know, so far as, I am concerned, that is called, God, if I am not able, to breathe, and somebody, supplies me, oxygen, then that oxygen, is God, if I am dying, of thirst, water is God, if I am dying, of hunger, food is God, if I am dying, of cold, then heat is God, and if I am, completely, bound, unable to move, somebody, made, an iron mask, there is a novel, like that, Iron Man, so completely, covered, and chained, to one place, and this person, with great difficulty, only he can move, but, this is, if there is space, then the person can, so that is why, space, air, fire, water, and earth, means food, all these, have been, representations of, what makes me, live, a life, that is, worthy of living, without dying, keeps me alive, keeps me happy, keeps me healthy, keeps me creative, that is called, God, all the Gods, and I says, and Hindus, have got tremendous, capacity, there was, a great human being, called Jesus Christ, and he was made, an incarnation of God, by Christians, there was a great person, called Buddha, and immediately, the followers of Buddha, made him a great person, there was a great person, called Buddha, and immediately, the followers of Buddha, made him a great person, so far as, the followers of Ramakrishna, are concerned, Buddha is one of the greatest, manifestations of Brahman, did he preach, atheism, absolutely no, he is talking about, infinity, and he is talking about, practical life, and he said, you don't talk too much, so try to, reform your life, become a better person, there was a great person, he had so many, good qualities, he was called Rama, later on, there was Krishna, later on, there was Chaitanya, later on, there was Shankaracharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, they are all, incarnations of God, according to their, respective followers, and then, we, had this, great person, called Ramakrishna, for us, Sharada Devi, she is like God, but what is the point, I am driving at, that so far, as I am concerned, Ramakrishna, is Brahman, Holy Mother is Brahman, Vivekananda Swami, is Brahman, Jesus, Buddha, Rama, Krishna, they are all Brahman, in fact, everything is Brahman, but I see more, manifestation of Brahman, only in these, great souls, and anybody, who loves me, is Brahman, my mother loved me, therefore, she is Brahman, my father loved me, protected me, and helped me, to be what I am now, that is why, he is Brahman, my teachers, they are all, they all helped me, therefore, Acharya Devo Bhava, then, so many other people, that helped me, are still helping me, to become great, in my own way, so that, they are unfolding, my potential divinity, helping me, either by criticising, by giving trouble, or by encouraging me, loving me, in whatever way, directly or indirectly, in whatever way, they are all helping me, they are all helping me, to become great, in my own way, so that, they are unfolding, they are all helping me, and therefore, Atithi Devo Bhava, everybody is, none other than, Brahman, so this is the idea, so do not, let us not quarrel about, that is what, makes Ram Krishna, one of the greatest, incarnations God, whose teaching is, not whose philosophy, but whose teaching is, infinite is God, and infinite are the ways, wherever you turn, it is Brahman, whatever direction, you decided to move, towards God, you will find God, provided you want God, and you do not want, anything else other than, so that is what, is being said here, if I have, an exalted idea, about God, and that God, is called Devata here, it means both, the male and female, but as I said, not that they are men, or women, but they represent qualities, if a person, protects me, and judges me, judges everybody, exactly in the same way, he is called father, but in spite of all, one's failings, there is another person, who forgives everything, overlooks everything, never remembers anything bad, we have done, and is ever ready to shower, infinite love, that is called mother, so qualities, forgiveness, and then, protectiveness, and giving security, nourishment, and giving up life, for our sake, that is called Godly, with this idea, let us explore, the rest is very easy, Hridi Pranaha Pratishtita, Pranas, Prana means, all the, in Hindu lore, Vedantic lore, there is only one Prana, that is called, Vayu Devata, that is called also, Sutratma, etc., but all these, he enters into each one of us, and then he manifests, for one function of him, that pure Prana, is to digest food, another is, digest means what, food is digested, and transformed into energy, and that energy, has to be carried, according to the need, to different parts of the body, so that is, another function, and whatever is, waste, poisonous, that had to be thrown out, either from below, or from above, by vomiting, or by, going to a toilet, etc., or in the form of sweat, there is another Prana, and then, somebody has to procreate, then something has to be brought, from within, and that is, another function of the Prana, and finally, when the time comes, for quitting this body, the whole personality, has to be thrown out, because we are so much attached, tremendous power is needed, for this Sookshma Sharira, we call it, Sookshma and Karana Sharira, to be separated, from this body aspect, for that function, is also one function of the Prana, so, digest, then distribute, then throw out, what is unnecessary, then, help the person procreate, then, help the person, finally, when the body becomes completely, worthless, useless, cannot help us anymore, to help us, to get out of such an instrument, until we procure another instrument, that is also, another function of the Prana, so Prana is divided into, five parts, there are not really five Prana, just like, the same person, can be a father, can be a mother, can be a doctor, can be a servant, can be a coach, can be a friend, like that, the same Prana, functioning in different capacities, the Prana, Vyana, Udana, Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, Samana, is the Vedantic terminology, where are all these Pranas, in the heart, and how do we understand it, because Prana means, tremendous power, energy, and when we are happy, our heart leaps up in joy, and tremendous energy comes up, but when we are sick, our energy goes to the rock bottom, and then we think, oh, I am suffering, and therefore, I will not have energy, not that the energy is lacking, but I am thinking, I have no energy, that is why it is said, if something gives me happiness, whether it is a person, or an object, or an event, or a book, or a particular manifestation of God, that is Avishta Deva, so Hridi Prana Pratishtita, if I am happy, I will be full of energy, that is why, all the energies, they are all dependent upon our thoughts, and those thoughts, are where? Inside, that is called, Hridi Prana Pratishtita, Hridi, Pranasya, Jyotisya, here again, the word Prana is used, this is called, Mukhe Prana, this is what we call, Hiranyagarbha, that is, the Prana which is manifesting within us, is only a small manifestation of Hiranyagarbha, but that which is manifesting throughout the universe, that is called Hiranyagarbha, the total Prana, total energy, that is available, that is what is mentioned here, even through meditation, through different process of, what is called, contemplation, we have to slowly work up, so long as I am confined with this body, I will be only confined, my Prana is confined only to this body, even in ordinary parlance, what happens, you know, that a mother gives birth to a baby, and immediately, even before the mother conceives a baby, immediately her whole life changes, my baby is there inside, I must protect it, I must not take anything that harms, I must not do anything, I must not think negative thoughts, etc., so many do's and don'ts are there, a mother is ready to sacrifice her favorite food, activities, everything, for because her whole heart is embedded, as it were, in that child, and when the child comes out, the whole Pancha Prana, as we call, is fixed only upon that, but a person who feels, so if I do not eat, I suffer, if somebody doesn't eat, that person also suffers, if a disease comes to me, I suffer, if some pain comes, I suffer, so this is common, universal experience, therefore some people get out of their individual personality, and identify themselves practically, of course it is a process that is developed, through many many lives, slowly they extend, first of all, from one's own self, to one's own near and dear family, and then to the village, to the district, and to the country, to the other countries, to live with other non-humans, etc., so that is how our Prana becomes extended, and that Prana, which is manifesting in everybody, in the form of life, that is Prana, that is called Hiranyagarbha, so where is this concept of Hiranyagarbha? In the heart, that is why, so we have intelligence, where is this intelligence? Each soul is potentially divine, all the intelligence is also within us, Jyoti means intelligent, that is why when a person gets a new idea, suddenly on his head, a shining bulb is shown, that this person had obtained a new piece of intelligence, that is called Jyoti, but each one of us have got our own potential light, but there are people, who identify with the whole universe, that is called Jyoti Rajyoti, the light of the lights, about which I referred many times, even today, every devotee of Sri Ramakrishna, he should feel, not only I am the Jyoti Rajyoti within my heart, but the same God, another name for Jyoti Rajyoti is called Brahman, another name is God, so it is God, in the Christian Bible it is said, let there be light, what do we mean by? Immediately some big electric light has come, or the sun has come, or the moon has come, no, they also have come, but what means is, the capacity of intelligence has been implanted within everybody, let there be intelligence in everybody according to their needs, and then something peculiar we notice here, very beautiful, if suppose there is an amoeba, has Hiranyagarbha, or God, is manifesting in the form of Jyoti Rajyoti, yes, and not only that, Jyoti also, not only Jyoti Rajyoti, Jyoti also, the amoeba is aware that I have a mind, I have got some intelligence, and this is my, I am amoeba, and this is my enemy, I have to save myself from this enemy, if you observe the nature movies, every single, what is called microcosm, or whatever it is, smallest creature, organism, has got sufficient intelligence, sufficient for its protection, amoeba has got sufficient intelligence to live its life to the full, but a plant has got sufficient intelligence to live its life, a human being has got sufficient intelligence to make it, you see recently, some news has come, I am only just conveying it, that when a person cuts down, or burns a plant, it seems a huge cry comes out, painful cry, just as if the same thing happens to us, so they have recorded that one, with a special type of recording, of course this is human understanding, but more or less this is what Sir Jagadeesh Chandra Bose had discovered, more than 100 years back, so we think they don't have any feelings, but we know, without any doubt it has been proved, especially if classical music is given, plants grow very well, if rock music is played, they shrivel and die, and if plants can die, and we can also die, practically a person becomes a zombie, by hearing this kind of sounds etc., anyway that is a different subject, I am not going into it, but what is said is, that prana is within our buddhi, intelligence, and jyoti, that light, not only light of light, when that light of light is reflected, in our pure mind, in the buddhi, the buddhi becomes illumined, that is why the most marvelous prayer, applicable to anybody in this world, irrespective of what religion they are practicing, is called Gayatri Mantra, and where is this? There are another two lines, which we will talk about in our next class. May Sri Ramakrishna Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda, bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.