Mandukya Karika Lecture 152 on 01-May-2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We have come to the end of the Mandukya Upanishad, Mandukya Karikas, the fourth chapter. In our last class, we have been discussing the very last karika or shloka. And this last shloka is the ultimate meaning of the entire, not only Mandukya Upanishad, but all the Upanishads, not only, all the Upanishads. Smriti, Shruti, Purana, Tantra, Christianity or Islam or Buddhism. What is it? In dualist language, a devotee. That means all of us. We are going to go to God, attainment of God. If we think He is personal, that is absolutely fine. Our opinion, idea about God doesn't really matter. What matters is the grace of God. If any person lives the type of life that is indicated in every scripture, I am just giving you only one sample. Moses, long before Jesus Christ. That old type of Judaism, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. That means true justice can be done only in this way. But Jesus Christ came and reinterpreted the same thing. Not an eye for an eye, a life for a life. But if somebody slaps you, how many times? Not 7 times, but 70 times. You don't go on counting. Like Krishna was counting 100 times. I will forgive this Shishupala and after that I will cut off his head. Not like that. Because anybody who does harm is doing harm to himself. Similarly, anybody who is doing good is really not doing good to anybody else excepting to himself. This is the most marvelous Vedanta. Vedanta, the essence of Vedanta. Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma. That is being summarized in this 100th Karika. We will just read because even the very utterance or chanting of some of these shlokas are very uplifting. Durdarsham, Atigambeeram, Ajam, Samyam, Visharatam, Buddhapadam, A-nanatvam, Namaskurmo, Yathabalam. Even Gaudapada was constrained, forced. That to say, the truth about Brahman can never be expounded. That was what Shri Ramakrishna was trying to drill into our brains. We should never limit him. That is to say, whatever we think, it doesn't really matter. If we suppose somebody thinks God is very cruel. There are some tribes and it is based upon this belief what is called Narabali. That is offering a human life itself. Sometimes I myself am inclined to think what is so great about human life. If you want to take a mosquito's life, for a mosquito, mosquito's life is the most precious. It doesn't care what we call even a particle of dust for even the life of Shri Ramakrishna. So far as it is concerned, its own life is the most precious thing in this whole world. For each one of us, the same truth holds good. If I am dying, then the whole world is dying. When I enter into a deep sleep state, the whole world enters into the deep sleep state. What is the point? The point is, it is not what we conceive of God or Brahman or whatever it is, whether Sakara, Nirakara, Saguna, Nirguna. These are all thoughts about God in mind, not God. That is why all the devotees of Shri Ramakrishna, whenever they are singing vespers, the very second line, because even the thought he is Nirguna is only a thought. Can the mind ever conceive what is called Nirguna? That is an impossibility. Nirguna can never be thought about. If you think whatever you think, whatever I think, it is only endowed with Guna. Guna means what? Some concept, not only equality. Our concepts always go with this. This is good, this is evil, this is pleasant, this is unpleasant, this is with form, this is without form. All these are what we call Dwandwa. The very word Dwandwa has a deep meaning here. But if we want to, how can we see Brahman? We cannot see Brahman. We can't see, we can't hear, we can't taste, we can't smell, we can't touch. We can't even conceive, not only perceive, but conceive. Impossible. Then how to know? There is only one way. Become one. Like any river, when it merges in the ocean, then it becomes the ocean. Who says it becomes the ocean? We are saying. The river is not there to say, I was a river before. Now I merged in the ocean and I became the ocean. Now I am the ocean. The river is not going to tell. It is very interesting to imagine this way. A river has merged itself into the ocean. Do you think it will be thinking? Oh, what a relief! I was a river before. Now I have become an ocean. What a promotion! No. If you ask it and if at all it can vocalize, you know what it tells? What are you talking about river? What do you mean by river? I don't know what is river. I was the ocean. I am the ocean. And I will be the ocean. There is no question of becoming anything else. The infinite can never think. I have one time become finite. That is why whatever we conceive, it is only what is the purpose of all these descriptions, which are What is the real point? The real point is that the limited mind, any limited instrument, can never measure that which is infinite, immeasurable, inconceivable, etc. But we should never lose. There is such a thing. Because whenever we think of God, unconsciously, not consciously, we go to Tirupati and we have the darshan of Lord Venkateshwara, Narayana. And then we think, I have come to Tirupati. Why did I come? Because I wanted to have darshan of Lord Narayana in the form of Venkateshwara. Is this Venkateshwara only here? In my village also there is a Venkateshwara temple. In my house also there is a Venkateshwara. There is a small puja room and there also Venkateshwara is there. And wherever I go, even if I go to America, Australia, there are devotees who have got Venkateshwara in their, not only temples, but in their own private houses. And see the idea, we never feel the Tirupati Venkateshwara is a totally separate being from this Venkateshwara, which I am seeing in my own puja room or anywhere else. The same Venkateshwara is here. That means He is everywhere. That means He is infinite. And then do you imagine this Lord Venkateshwara? Since childhood I am seeing. I have become old. Does Venkateshwara also become old like me? No. We have all that. Everybody has that concept that God is everywhere, means God is infinite, God is changeless, that means He is eternal and that is the hope for us. Why? How are we able to conceive it? Because indirectly we are only thinking about ourselves. Because this is what Swami Vivekananda meant. For a mosquito, God is a huge mosquito. How can it think it is a mosquito? Because since my awareness is in the form of a mosquito and God, who is infinite awareness, must also be in the form of a mosquito. That is what is called indirect way of conceiving what is called infinity, eternity. We cannot really conceive of it. But we can say some such thing really exists. And that is expressed in this 100th verse. But as I said, this is the essence of every scripture. Not only that, this is what all of us want to become. That is why I mentioned earlier every living creature has three prayers vocalized or not vocalized, properly conceived or improperly conceived. Let me not die. Let me be endowed with the light of knowledge and let me always be happy. Sat. That means, in other words, let me be Sat. Let me be Chit. And let me be Ananda. Because each soul is potentially divine. So durdarsham means impossible to conceive. Atigambhiram. What is gambhiram means? It is difficult to measure the depths. It is so profound. Why is it profound? We have come across Anuraniyan Mahato Mahiyan. It is smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest. So how can something have these opposite qualities? So it is Many Upanishads also talking. It moves and at the same time it doesn't move. And it is near, it is very far. It is inside, it is outside at the same time. And Shankaracharya gives a marvelous interpretation for people like us. What does it mean? In our normal, finite condition of the mind, something is either moving or it is not moving. At the same time, it is not possible both things to happen. Even though modern science puzzled. So the Schrodinger's cat is supposed to be an example. So there is a cat. It entered into a cage. Now the question is, is it dead or is it alive? Why this question? For an ordinary people like us, either something is alive or it is dead. But this particular experience provable by mathematical science is that at the same time, the cat is both alive and dead. Of course, as I said, these absolutes, abstract ideas, it is impossible for people like us even to conceive. But there are people who can do that. So this is what is called even abstract mathematics. So science, when it goes beyond a line, it must become abstract. In fact, we cannot think of, if we go deep into it, there are some abstract principles. They are the foundation of the science itself. Science cannot explain why it is so, but it takes for granted. For example, 2 plus 2 is 4. It cannot be 3. It cannot be 5. 3 into 3 must be 9 only. It cannot be 8 or 10. These are called, take for granted, they are truths. So why are they like that? That nobody answers. It is God's will. It is like that. We have to accept it and they will never change. So even the understanding of this so-called changeful thing is only based upon this firm platform of what is unchangeable, inconceivable, the abstract concept. So what to speak of? God Himself. So, Ati Gambhiram. So what does Shankara say? How does he interpret this verse, this mantra from the Isavasya Upanishad? And the Upanishads are full of such mantras. The interpretation of Shankaracharya is for a person who is a realized soul, Brahman is both moving and non-moving. That is to say, how can Brahman do both? The interpretation is when I am in the state of duality, it is either moving or non-moving. But when I am in the state of realization, what ignorant people call moving or non-moving, both are dualistic concepts only. So for an ignorant person, it is a puzzle. For a knowing person, it is as plain as a simple fact of life, that means about which we never question at all. That is what is called Ati Gambhiram. That means only, not an intellectual person. Gambhiram means there are so many people like Einstein, Beethoven, or what is called some great painters, etc. No, that is not the meaning of deeply intellectual. That is not the meaning. Ati Gambhiram means even the concept is very limited from the viewpoint of the reality. But how can we know? We will never know. Then we can never know about it. Yes, you can know, you cannot know at the same time. What do you mean by you cannot know? With this limited mind consisting of time-space causation, I can never know. But when I become one with it, then I know what I am. So we should never use I know Brahman. The plain translation should be I know myself. Because as if I know such and such a person, I know Brahman. Brahman is somebody else. I am the knower. Brahman is the known object. All these things must be transcended. Reality must be transcended. I am. And even that expression is only from our viewpoint, not the truth. Brahman does not go on sitting there I am Brahman, I am Brahman. If you can imagine Brahman sitting and thinking I am Brahman, really it is getting deluded. Brahman's Brahmatva is I am Brahman. Atigambhiram. But only a purified mind. What is purified mind? A non-existent mind. That which doesn't stand as a prism, as an instrument. That is called Atigambhiram. Ajam. Unborn. We are all, we have that concept. This is born, that is not born. That is the humanness. Ajam means unborn. Samyam. That means it is the same everywhere. Visharadam. And it is the purest of the pure. We have seen this word Visharadam that has come earlier. Karigas also. Budhva Padam. Budhva means knowing. But here it means having become one. Padam. With that state. That means having become Brahman. A Nanatvam. Then only this multiplicity will become completely destroyed. There is no Nanatvam at all. And this is the very essence. And then what can I say? Namaskurma Yathabalam. With all my body, speech and mind, I can only salute that Brahman. There is no other way. So having realized that knowledge, the knowledge of the supreme reality, which is extremely difficult to be grasped, profound, worthless, always the same, all light and free from multiplicity. So here plurality is used. Instead of saying I salute, here we salute it as best as we can. Because this is all we can do. Expression. With this, Gaudapadacharya has completed. So he starts with a Mangala Charana. And here also he completed with a Mangala Charana. And then at the beginning of this 4th chapter, especially from the 2nd Karika, what does he say? So it started like that. Certain qualities are given. What is it called? That is untouched. Sarva Sattva Sukhaha That means it gives the happiness, the only source of happiness for everything in this world. Hithaha That which conduces to the well-being of everybody. Avivadaha And about which there can be no quarrel at all. Aviruddhaha It is not opposite to anything because there is no 2nd one. Deshithaha This marvelous teaching. That is how Gaudapada starts this 4th chapter called Alatha Shanti Prakaranam which is the biggest. About 100 shlokas are there which actually the squeezing of the essence. But actually according to me, already 3 chapters are over. So what is described in the 3 chapters? He should have squeezed the essence. It should have been even much less. But you know, he goes on into how to refute the other schools of philosophy etc. So that is what is happening. But at the same time, these are the beginnings. I am going to talk about what is Asparsha Yoga, which is beneficial to everybody and which conduces to the well-being of everybody and about which there can be no opposition or no quarrel or no argument. That means everybody agrees. Aviruddhaha That is, it is unopposed by anybody. There can be no divisions either philosophically or religiously or spiritually. And such is the teaching called Deshitaha. That is why a person who teaches is called Deshika. And what he teaches is called Deshitaha. So Upadesha we call it. That is, showing the direction, right direction. And he ends it with these 6. Durdarsham, Adigambhiram, Ajam, Samyam, Visharatam, Ananatma. So this is how one can only talk in words only so much. It is not possible to go beyond that. So with this, the 100th is also over. What is this meaning of Namaskurma Yatha Balam? According to me, this is a most marvelous thing because earlier in many of the other classes also I have raised the point what is the meaning of this Namaskara? Kara means the action. Namaha Kara is called Namaha that Visarga Aha it becomes Am Aha we call it. Visarga becomes S Namaskaraha Kara means the action. What is this Namaha? Previous days when Yajnasa Yagas were being performed, then they offer clarified butter into the blazing fire and then they have they keep an empty vessel a smaller one and from the bigger vessel which is full of ghee they take it after offering to whichever God. So Agnaya Swaha, Indraya Swaha, Agnaya Swaha, Somaya Swaha, Sri Ram Krishna Swaha etc. and a few drops will be there in that ladle and that should not be dipped. Somehow they have that part of that ritual. So whatever few drops are remaining in that after pouring into the fire because he can't go on keeping there those one or two remaining drops in the ladle have to be kept in that empty vessel and the people who perform they are not the people who organize the people who organize are rich people they may be kings, they may be rich merchants but capable of employing all these people. The people who actually perform them, they are called Ritwiks. That is what we call in modern language a priest. And the priests are being paid. So whenever these are offering I am offering this oblation to this particular God but O God addressing Agnaya you go and tell Indraya Swaha this is an offering to Indra but if Indra is pleased and want to give O the person who offers to you this I am happy with that person I grant some desires no no no I am not the person who is offering I am only representative of the real person who organized it the entire Agnaya Yaga so the result should go to him because I receive my own result in the form of what is called Dakshina so that is the agreement like a servant who harvests the land and all the harvest that belongs to the owner of the land not to the servants but of course he will distribute something to the servants also share some of it to the servants also and the he always does it with us so then after offering this ghee into the fire those few empty drops to be put in an empty vessel and then at the time na mama the result should not belong to me I should not think I am giving the offering I should think the offering is being actually given by Yajamana to you your bones whatever you give must belong to him that word na mama if you utter fast nama nama nama namaha and in course of time it became namaha salutation salutation also means there is also something when two sadhus meet in some place then you know what they do Narayanaya om namo narayanaya salutations to Narayana so that means what that I am saying Narayana himself so who is doing namaskara to whom am I doing namaskara to Narayana no Narayana is doing namaskara to Narayana how do we know because the other sadhu also he also replies om namo narayanaya so this sadhu sees Narayana in the other person and the same thing happens with the other person also so let us both see God himself and it is true because I am able to see Narayana in this person or in either person only because by the grace of Narayana that is why in the Bhagavad Gita in the eleventh chapter Arjuna says I want to see so Krishna says so you cannot see me with your human eyes it is impossible so I will give you my eyes Divyam means what my eyes I will give you because how I perceive myself that I will grant you and with those eyes when you see you know that it is me that means what you do not exist only I exist that is the meaning of it so here also namaskar mo that is whatever is way is possible through either words through deeds through bowing down but above all with this knowledge that we are bowing down to whom to Brahman actually when we realize we are also Brahman who is bowing down to whom this is beautifully expressed in many of the what is called etc I am Brahman and therefore I salute myself because even if somebody says I am saluting you very interesting supposing a disciple salutes the acharya and imagine that acharya is a realized soul do you think that realized acharya will ever even allow the thought to enter into his mind here is my disciple I am his guru and he is bowing down to me I accept his namaskara I am superior he is inferior I am the teacher he is the student impossible and Sairam Krishna echoes this beautiful sentiment that is in the form of a small incident Shukadeva was sent by his father to Janaka and Shukadeva approaches and requests Janaka Maharaja you teach me about Brahman and immediately Janaka Maharaja says you give me Lakshana right in the beginning so nowadays it is opposite you know first you enjoy and pay later on but in those days neither God nor any wise acharya they don't accept that philosophy first you pay then we will see whether we want to give you something or not so give me fees Lakshana and Shukadeva was wise enough to question him you have not even given me the teaching and you are demanding Guru Lakshana and then Janaka said so once I tell you you are me and I am you then you will not recognize me as a guru and who is going to give to whom therefore I am demanding right at the beginning itself so who is going to salute whom Brahman doesn't certainly salute Brahman it is only ignorant human beings like us who think in this particular manner so that is the most important thing why is it so profound why because we have seen in this very 4th chapter see how many different ways are there asti, nasti asti is first school of there are so many schools of philosophy but Gaudapada or Advaita Vedanta classifies all of them into four categories what are they asti Brahman is then nasti Brahman is not second view what is the third school asti, nasti it is and it is not also we have discussed already don't go on don't expect me to go through it again then what is the 4th one, nasti, nasti it doesn't exist at all and doubly doesn't exist so we have so many ways are there but then how does Gaudapada counter all these things with one simple this thing and this is so beautifully put forward by Ramana Maharshi somebody questioned him so I have doubts then he explained say you are a doubter so the doubter can doubt everything but he cannot doubt about himself because to doubt also you must exist that is the final teaching of Gaudapada there can nobody can destroy your asti your existence and that is what we are talking everybody knows I exist and most of us are not aware what is my true nature what is the true nature of the existence so with this salutation the 100th is completely over now Gaudapada concluded with this 100th verse but Shankaracharya who had written commentary because Gaudapadacharya is incomprehensible there are so many sometimes a little bit understandable and sometimes not so understandable Shankaracharya has a facility superb linguist he can write to so beautifully simply profoundity and simplicity Swami Vivekananda perhaps even surpasses Shankaracharya in that respect the highest truths in the simplest of English language to understand the meanings, word meanings of Swami Vivekananda's language is very easy but every time you read a deeper meaning comes to the mind and that we can understand only at the end of God realization so same thing Shankaracharya also having concluded his commentary upon the karikas of Gaudapada which are the explanations of the 12 mantras of the Mandukya Upanishad then he adds 3 beautiful shlokas of his own saluting what is called Gaudapadacharya, his own guru and here they go ajam api jani yogam prapad aishwarya yoga agati cha gati matam prapad ekam hi anekam vividha vishaya dharmagrahi mukdhe kshananam pranata bhaya vihantru brahma yat tat nataha asmin I am not going into again detailed explanation of this but just I will read out the English translation and wherever necessary I will try to expand the meaning of it I bow to that Brahman ultimately everywhere we salute, you are saluting Ganesha it is nothing but Brahman you are saluting Maramma that is also Brahman only your concept of Brahman etc. so who is this Brahman what is his special quality the destroyer of all fear of those who take shelter under it those in other words who practice that idea is reflected here Brahman is one and whoever takes shelter what does shelter mean means I belong to you then what does the Brahman do so that Brahman removes all fear how does Brahman remove the fear simply through this idea that if you are having a fear there must be something other than you vitiya second other than you who is separate from you and then only that being that object can create fear it could be a mosquito and don't say I am not frightened of a mosquito if anybody says I am a human being what is mosquito for me so if you have got a mosquito curtain that shows you are terribly frightened of mosquitoes how many mosquitoes do you need do you need 100 mosquitoes no suppose there are only 5 mosquitoes do you still need mosquito curtain or not yes suppose there are 2 only will you need mosquito curtain yes suppose there is only 1 mosquito what will you do even then we need a mosquito curtain so mosquito curtain possessing mosquito curtain and using mosquito curtain indicates that you are terribly frightened of a mosquito even though you don't admit it even to yourself so this is that Brahman who removes all fear because even from fear comes only from the second it is such a marvelous thing fear comes from a second is it your father fear comes is it your mother fear comes is it your husband or wife fear comes anything that is even living non living anything can create fear itself but the idea is you take Sharanagati that means what you become one with it so it is unborn but appears to be born associated with birth through its inscrutable and indescribable power of Maya how does the Maya manifest through knowledge and through activity which Brahman though ever at rest appears to be moving even though Brahman is immovable why because it is infinite but it appears to be moving because of duality because of Maya they gave a beautiful example and when we see the moon on a full moon lit night into the sky we are fortunate enough to sleep on the roof or whatever because town people rarely get to see such a thing because of the light pollution but if you are staring at the moon it soon appears that the clouds are moving at the beginning later on the clouds become still and the moon appears to be dashing from one cloud then it gets disappears then slowly it appears etc so even though unborn Brahman appears to be born which though ever at rest appears to be moving and which though non-dual appears to have assumed multifarious forms eka one without a second appears to be many for whom whose vision is deluded by the perception of endless objects and their attributes in other words for a ignorant person one who perceives what is called the multiplicity second verse I prostrate to the feet of that great teacher the most adored among the adorable who out of sheer compassion for all beings drowned in the deep ocean of the world which world is infested with the terrible shocks of unceasing births and deaths and that great guru rescues and for the benefit of everybody how does he rescue this nectar hardly obtainable even by the gods from the innermost depths of the ocean of Vedas by churning it with the rod of his illumined reason prostrations to that guru Gaudapada what is his nature first of all I prostrate to the feet of that great teacher why because what I am now this is what Shankaracharya says what I am now is all because of my guru his grace is what made me what I am now he is the adored the most adored among all the adorable there is nobody else who is more adorable why because he had become brahman one with brahman and he made me one with brahman who made me realize that I am brahman and what type of person why did he do that out of sheer compassion and he does it not only to me whoever takes shelter at the feet you must remember we must remember Gaudapadacharya is not an individual guru but brahman in the form of Gaudapada brahman in the form of Ramakrishna brahman in the form of holy mother brahman in the form of Swami Vekananda, Swami Brahmananda, Swami Sivananda etc. so anybody any being ignorant people because they are drowned in the deep ocean of the world drowned means what they think I am the body I am the mind that is called deep ocean samsara sagara and what type of world infested with the terrible sharks of incessant births and deaths continuously being born, growing up dying, again being born how many churasi lakh janam and the grace of this great guru not because of our effort but our only effort is to strive our utmost to take shelter so he rescues how does he rescue the agnanis how does he do it because his charan great ocean called the veda, veda sagara just like in the Bhagavatam we get the kshira sagara matana, churning of the milk ocean and then what happens at last the amrutha which can make a person immortal that dhanvantari that is the possessor of amrutha, Bhagavan himself in the form of the dhanvantari he comes and only he can give the law is whoever has got only he can give and whatever he has got only that he can give so this guru he himself had dived deep into the ocean of all the vedas so vedasara amrutam called vedamrutam what is vedamrutam, tatvamasi svetaketo the word that o svetaketo you are none other than brahman when such a great person like shiva speaks tatvamasi every jiva immediately realizes that is how shiva grants mukti to everybody in this varanasi and this knowledge amrutam hardly obtainable even by the gods we see in the kata upanishad also that yama dharma raja himself says even gods had no knowledge of this brahman so you yourself said so when tempted by yama dharma raja says I am not going to ask for any inferior what is called object because having seen you having been fortunate I am not going to surrender this invaluable which only you can give so obtainable not at all obtainable even by the gods and his great guru called goudapadacharya remember for an enlightened soul guru is not a human being is brahman himself so where from did this great guru in this instance goudapadacharya bring that nectar from the innermost depths of the ocean of vedas that is the saara of all vedas that is the very essence what is it the word that tat tvam brahmasi you are brahman by churning it with the rod is element reason only he could do it nobody else could do it and shankara concludes prajnalokabhasa pratihati pratihatim agamat svante mohandhakare majo unmadhyascha gorehi asakrat upajanodanvati trasane me yatpadau asritanam shruti shama vinaya prapti agrahya mogha tatpadau pavaniyo bhava bhaya vinutau sarvabhavaihi namasye I salute with my whole being tanu vacha and manasa manasa vacha karmana to those holy feet of the guru which holy feet the dispellers of the fear of the chain of births and deaths once that grace of god in the form of the guru comes then there is no punar janma of my great teacher who through the light of his illumined vision destroyed the darkness of delusion enveloping my mind. I would never have been able to do it because of the grace. All that I did was that I was fortunate enough to come into contact with him and he glanced at me karuna drishti apataihi just by a glance who destroyed forever all my notions of appearance and disappearance in this terrible ocean of innumerable births and deaths but I am not the only one whoever surrenders to the guru is fortunate enough to receive his grace he makes all others also that take shelter at his feet attain to the unfailing knowledge of the scriptures which is aham brahmasmi and what does he gain peace and the state of perfect non differentiation take what is called complete identity with brahman he attains but all this is possible only by the grace of the God. That is what Bhagwan Krishna also says that you surrender yourself to me I will take care of you and you need not worry you need not be deluded, you will not be deluded and you need not unnecessarily suffer because I will take you out of all suffering he will go beyond all sorts of suffering what is called three types of afflictions with this we have completed the even three salutation verses most wonderful verses and in our next class I will be doing a summarization of this entire Mandukya Upanishad along with the four chapters and with that we will conclude and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti Jai Ramakrishna