Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 06 on 09 June 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad which belongs to the Samaveda. The important points we discussed in our last yesterday's class that every experience we have in this world has got three defects. Dosha, Traya. What is it? Pleasure and pain always come in pairs, never separately. Then whatever pleasure comes, it is not satisfactory because it could have been a little better, it could have been some other way or there are so many things which I would like to experience but at the same time. But unable to do it, therefore dissatisfaction. And every experience that we get in the world creates likes and dislikes, creates what we call Raga Dvesha. And these lead to further action. And actions bring their results. And the results of the actions invariably produce Punar Janma, next birth. Good or bad, both. But of course there is no Karmaphala which is absolutely unique. It always comes with the second. Happiness with unhappiness, good with evil, life with death, etc. So this is what we discussed. But at the beginning we will not understand that there are all these three defects. We think, we know there are defects but there are remedies. It will take billions of lives to understand that there are no solutions. So long as we are in the world, there will be defects. And why so? Because limitation. This is a beautiful concept. Defect always means limitation. Whereas my mind is always running towards the unlimited, so infinite. I am through finite instruments, finite objects. Everything is limited. Therefore I can never come to the infinite. So however many long time I may live in this world, I may experience many things, these three defects cannot be avoided. Earlier also we have seen afflictions come from three sources. The body is associated with affliction, old age, disease, weakness, accident, etc. And then there is what is called physical world, wars, pestilences, earthquakes, too much of rains or no rain at all, famines, etc., enemies, etc. Then according to Vedas, there is a third type of existence which is called God, manifesting in the form of the presiding deities. And they are looking after us because they created us. This beautiful concept has been so marvelously expressed in the daily hymn. Every devotee naturally hears and sings Sarvamangalam Angalye, the middle shloka. She is the three gunas and she only sustains, protects and she only withdraws. This is an inevitable process. So it is impossible to remain the same. So this world proves it. But she is the protector in the form of the presiding deities. And we do not cognize them, much less be grateful to them. Then what happens? There is a person who believes in the Vedas and then he has developed Shraddha in the Vedas. What does the Vedas say? That one who lives this Vedic life. And what does it mean? Living means not like religious people. So truly believing and then transforming one's behavior. Vidhi and Nishedha. Do's and don'ts. Ten commandments. Five commandments you must do. Five commandments never do anything. So Vidhi Nishedha. When a person meticulously, conscientiously follows these things, then by the grace of God, because God gives him the intelligence, he discovers these defects crystal clearly. Shri Sairam Krishna says, People weep potfuls of tears because something happened either to their family, children or property. Nobody ever thinks, sheds even a single tear for the sake of God. Such people are defined as worldly people. But one who lives a Vedic life, his mind gets purified and then he acquires lot of Punyam and he experiences higher life. But even if he attains to the highest possible dualistic world called Brahma Loka, Brahma Loka is also imbued with these three defects. Time bound, limited, object bound, time bound, object bound, space bound. However long he may live, these three defects cannot be avoided because even Brahma Loka falls under what we call Anatma Loka, Brahma Loka. Therefore, such a person who lives by the grace of God, because the man has developed sufficient Shraddha and Bhakti, he discovers. Oh, what does he discover? First of all, these defects, there are these three defects. Secondly, they are not remediable. There is no remedy. Thirdly, there is a path which can take one beyond this. What is that path? Go beyond the world. That is, go beyond the idea, I am the body and I am the mind. So this Vedic life has double advantage. What is it? The first part of the Veda proves to everyone of its followers that whatever is stated is absolutely true. You do this, you get the result. So, a person who believes and that is the proof of his belief that he will do, he will follow exactly the directions. Like any scientist. Scientists discover something, place the formulas before us and ask us, you experiment. What is the proof that it works? Because it worked for me. How did it work? These are the steps I have taken. So if you take those very same steps, it must work. And what works only for one and not for others is not scientific. It is a fluke. That's all. So, those who follow the Vedic life, then he discovers these three things. That in this world, everything is beset with three defects. At the same time, he is a Vedic follower. He also discovers that in this world, there is no remedy. But there is a way to go beyond the world. Fulfill all our desires. That is eternal existence, infinite wisdom and unbroken happiness. And how does he discover this thing? Because when a person puts into practice all the rituals mentioned with crystal clear instructions, this is the ritual. This will give this result. And this is how it has to be done. And when a person tentatively, experimentally practices this thing, then he starts getting the result. I got this result. So let me do something else. My God desires are many. So he follows something else. And that gets fulfilled. He follows another. He gets fulfilled. Then he develops. Whatever is written in the Vedas is absolute truth. As Mundaka Upanishad from the 7th mantra onwards says, Everything is written in the Veda because it is the word of God is absolutely true. But the same Veda or Upanishad tells us, But these are all, All these are unreliable boats, rafts. They give the result. But when a boat is going to develop or become holy and then it will drown you, we do not know. Because Adhridaha, unreliable. Why? What is the meaning of unreliability? Beset with these defects. Three defects. Irremediable three defects. But same Veda says, There is another state, another world. And they have given a beautiful word for that. This world is called Anatma Loka. Loka means world. Anatma means contemporary world. But there is Atma Loka. This comes in the 4th Brahmana of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Crystal clearly. There are some Brahmanas, wise people. Not Jati Brahmana. Not Brahmana by birth. But by culture and by spiritual cultivation. They are called Brahmanas. This is we who desire the world of Atma. Atma Loka. What have we got to do with this world, which consists of Loka Aishana, Pitta Aishana, Tara Aishana, Putra Aishana, Shastra Aishana. Aishana means desire. We have nothing to do with this world. In this world, there are certain desirable things. People think, we want wife, we want children, we want money and we want to go to higher Lokas. These are the 4 desires. But here also, it is a very noble teaching. When we say a man wants a wife, the usual misunderstanding is, he wants to enjoy her. But that's not what these Brahmanas are talking. Ordinary people, yes, they talk like that. Not these Brahmanas. What they say is, if we want to follow a Vedic way of life, we require a wife. The purpose of a wife is twofold. I would say threefold. But the first one is, no ritual can be done without a wife. Even Sri Rama in Ramayana had to create a golden image of Sita in order to complete his Yajna. That is the first reason why wife is wanted. Second, people believe that the tradition had to be handed over. So, a son, Putra, is one who saves father from a hell called Pum, Nama, Narakath, Trayate, Iti Putraha. A derivation. A son is one who saves a father from a special type of hell that is called Pum. And what is the speciality? How can the son save? He continues the tradition of the father. He tries to worship the gods, goddesses, and be grateful to them. And he follows, by this tradition, what we call Tarpana, Pindadana, the celebrations that one does after the death of a father or mother. And yearly also they do. That Pindadana is one which sustains the departed soul. That is the second purpose. And for that only son can do it usually. Third purpose, of course, human beings have normal chemical desires because of the chemistry, natural desires. And so they have to be fulfilled. But they have to be fulfilled only in the form of a Yajna Yaga. Let me tell you here something very important. A young man, usually chosen by parents, marries a virtuous young girl. They become husband and wife and they have to fulfill their natural desires. And that union is also considered a great Yajna. Just as when we are trying to eat some food, that is called Brahma Yajna. We do Brahma Arpana, Brahma Havi, etc. So whatever actions we do, we have to offer to God. So even this simple act of a male and female coming into union is considered as a Yajna. There are certain mantras. The life of a Hindu is governed by what is called more than 42 samskaras, sacraments. They are called sacraments. Why is it called a sacrament? That which leads to ultimate goal is called a sacrament. Even in Christianity and in every religion, there are certain sacraments are there. But Hindus more so in Hinduism. So this every action, whatever we want to enjoy, we are not animals. We have to offer to God. We have to be grateful. It is because of your grace. That is what Christianity also tells in different words. Marriages are made in heaven. The idea is there is a purpose. So you are coming from heaven. Your wife also comes from heaven. Your parents also similarly came from heaven. That means you are created by God. We have the nature of God and ultimately we have to go back to God. So that is the purpose. Baptism is turning back. As Sri Ramakrishna says, a Homa bird which flies so very high in the sky lays eggs and as the eggs start falling and they become chicks and the chicks after a few days they become aware we are going to dash and go to death. So they turn and go back to mother. In philosophy, this is called teleological urge. The irrepressible desire to go back to our original origin. Mano chalo, nijane kehthane. O mind, let us go to our own home. Alli the namma ne, illi bandhe summa ne. Our home is there. Here only we have come for some purpose. Beautiful Purandar Dasa's psalm. What is the purpose? Samsaar Bideshe Bidesheer Beshe Brahmo Kano Karne This was one of the first songs Swami Narendranath sang in his divine voice and Sri Ramakrishna went into Samadhi. So what are you doing? Roaming about in this foreign land. Foreign land is called Anatmaloka and you are dressed in the foreigner's body and mind which doesn't belong to Atman at all. Atmaloka. So what is the purpose? There is a purpose. Creation has a purpose. What is the purpose? That is joyfully to go back to our own home which is none other than God. So every act of the human being must and can be turned into a Jnana. So that is how the person who is following the Vedic style of life if he faithfully follows then what happens? His mind becomes pure. That means his intelligence becomes capable of understanding that my father is God, my mother is God and I have to go back to Him and then only I can be infinitely joyful and I can overcome all these three defects. So when a person through following the first part of the Veda called Karma Kanda or ritualistic portion of course combined with what is called Upasana mental contemplations he gets higher lokas, enjoys it but he understands this going up and coming down is inevitable so long as I do not know who I am. That is then a tremendous Umukshottam comes to him that how can, what is the way out? Then by the grace of God the truth flashes. Yes, you don't worry there is a solution. The Vedas themselves show the solution. What is the solution? Now the man asks the same Vedas you have fulfilled my desires but now I had enough of it What then? What am I going to do? Then two things happen. First thing that happens is that the first part of the Vedas becomes totally irrelevant. How do they become irrelevant? Not because one doesn't like idiots in this world not because they don't believe and do not practice but having practiced having obtained all the promised desires but still the facts remain the same so now he says I have seen what the world is now is there something else? So that is the first thing and then what happens? The person who is leading a life according to the directions of the Vedas or any scripture of any religion is ready for baptism. Baptism is turning away from the world and starting journey upward. This is called sacred thread ceremony. This is called dvijatva. A second birth, a spiritual birth starts for the sadhaka. So this person now he asks Vedas themselves whatever you said is truth now what is the way out? And then the second part suddenly becomes revealed until then which remains completely hidden that means intellectually he might study but a real faith in it shraddha in it and a real striving towards it doesn't arise at all and the learning stage and the experimenting and experiencing stage so that is called student's life and a grhastha ashrama married life but a time will come the mind evolves and it doesn't want anymore and then what is the solution? And then the Upanishad itself says now you go to Aranya Aranya a forest and there sit under the feet of a great teacher and learn the Upanishads and then contemplate on the Brahma so this upasana the purpose of this upasana is totally different contemplation is now on what we call how to become free from the world how to attain liberation or moksha and only through the realization of God or one's own nature or nirvana or paradise or satori or samadhi so many names have been given jivanmukti free even while living etc. etc. Now the Upanishads introduce the second part wherein called jnana kanda wherein they introduce Brahman alone not anything else not Brahman plus the world Brahman alone at the goal that is completely defect free why defect free? because there is no second where there is a second there is a defect so until now the Vedas literally command the follower to follow the karma kanda but now the person is ready for what we call give an example abstract maths until now only concrete maths now abstract concepts have to come so then the first question is that what is the Upanishad says that you are that Brahman this is a new revelation what is new in this the person may be a pandit he must have studied it hundreds of times he must have given lectures on that he must have even written commentaries on it he might have studied commentary after commentary but until now it is only purely intellectual as Sri Ramakrishna puts it that a vulture soars so high but its gaze is fixed only upon the rotting corpses that would be the appropriate estimate of such person who is following the karma kanda but now it becomes irrelevant and there is no option except in following the second path and then naturally the question automatically comes so who is this Brahman what is the nature of this Brahman what is the relation of Brahman to me these are the three questions because even if Brahman is real and Brahman can be defined if it is possible what is the relationship between me and Brahman that is important and then the Upanishads tell there is no relationship what? there is no relationship relationship always requires more than one you can't have a relationship when you are alone relationship only there can be a dog there can be a plant there can be a house there can be a river second should be there to develop a relationship but here there is no second one without a second and what does it mean it means there is no second Brahman you are that Brahman you are that as the Bhagavad Gita beautifully explains you are unborn and you are eternal that is called Purana Purana means Pura Api Nava Nava means it cannot be corrupted because whatever is one can never become corrupt only whatever is two that can be corrupted so this is the statement and then it is a tremendous statement therefore Shraddha is required tremendous Shraddha is required but when a person's heart has become pure what happens the grace of God descends upon the student in the form of Shraddha Shraddha Avivesha Shraddha possesses him until now he possessed faith he is manipulating faith sometimes he loses it sometimes it is weak sometimes it is strong sometimes ups and downs low and high but now like a ghost possesses the person when somebody puts a gun behind your head and says do this you have no option you have to follow similarly whatever the Shraddha and Shraddha says only one thing that there is Brahman and you are that Brahman that Shraddha comes and then such a person as we have already discussed in the Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatya Adhikari, a person who is fit then he must approach a Guru this is the normal procedure nobody can progress not only in spiritual field but in any field of life as Swami Brahman used to tell in a slightly light manner even if you want to be a good pickpocket then you need a Guru but if you want to be an expert pickpocket you require an expert Guru so if you want to know about computers you must have a computer Guru so a tremendous Shraddha is what is sent just before Sri Ram Krishna makes beautiful statements just before the sun rises the whole eastern sky becomes horizon becomes pinkish so just before the dawn of God realization the dawn of Shraddha comes Shraddha that what the scripture tells, what the Guru tells is absolute truth not a little bit of doubt is there and then that possesses it then the person is supposed to be fit, you see how it happens, Sri Ram Krishna once he asked Narendra you read to me Ashtavakra Gita and then he refused what blasphemy to say that I am God as a human being after being born that Rishi had forgotten the truth and he is questioning I am the son of my parents, what are you doing to me I have my parents at home in Calcutta, so even Sri Ram Krishna could not give him that knowledge for some time so he was still in that mood you are blaspheming that by declaring I am God, most of the religions some of the religions are so violent, they execute they kill, they burn people who do that and that is what Christianity or what you call Jesus Christ also was crucified, why as he was giving that tremendous statements, people did not have Shraddha, especially the priestly class, so Narendra Nath refused Sri Ram Krishna very diplomatically he said I am not asking for it, I want to hear, you just read out for me and Narendra had no way to deny it so ok if you want to listen the fun is if somebody is reading out to you he is also listening at the same time, whether you want it or not there is nothing called unconscious reading unconscious listening is we are all experts, but not unconscious reading, you have to be fully aware of it, so then you know what happened you have to recollect these incidents so one day Sri Ram Krishna taught them this highest truth that is you are Brahman and then there was another fellow who played a great funny role, buffoon's role, chester's role he was called Hajra Pratap Chandra Hajra, don't mistake him with Pratap Chandra Majumdar he was a different person Brahma Samajpiya, this fellow and Narendra became great friends so they went outside like very very good children students and burst out, this mat is Brahman, this cat is Brahman, this rat is Brahman, like that and Sri Ram Krishna heard their laughter and then by that time his cloth has come off, so he put it under his armpit and walked to them and asked them, what are you laughing at so loudly and they did not dare to say we are laughing at you but Sri Ram Krishna knew what they are talking about he has got, he is a not Sahasraksha but Koti Aksha he has got billions of eyes and then he went and touched not that fellow Pratap Chandra Hajra but only Narendranath and as soon as he touched Narendra's mind underwent a terrible transformation for 10 or 12 days I don't remember he was in that mood, everything appeared to be in a higher light, then later on he said that one touch of Sri Ram Krishna has made it possible for me to obtain the Shraddha in what the scriptures tell and Sri Ram Krishna is telling everything is God, I saw nothing but God and there are so many details he gives, I will not go into it but he understood behind the teachings of Sri Ram Krishna there is that tremendous force of realization, he is not talking by reading books, he is talking out of his fullness of experience so he had complete Shraddha now Shraddha entered, possessed him and then he became restless and that very soon ripens into tremendous longing Mumukshutva and then Sri Ram Krishna bestows the final realization but what is if a person followed the Vedic life and it is a must one cannot avoid it, that is the only way, the lower steps cannot be avoided, so then he requires tremendous Shraddha and when he followed this up to that way, the Vedic way of life scripture oriented life he becomes possessed with this tremendous Shraddha that the scripture is telling thou art that, then he, there is a conflict now now he approaches a teacher so even we, when we are statements like Tattvamasi so then it is a conflicting statement because we have faith in the Guru which means in the scripture but our day to day experience that we are nothing but exact opposite of Brahma, he is infinite, we are finite he is all knowing we are very little knowing and he is all powerful our powers are extraordinarily limited, so what should we do then we should sit humbly before the Guru, says my experience doesn't tally with your statement please tell me what you explained to me in a way that I can understand it in fact I should refer to a book, I am not asking you to read it but there is a beautiful book that is called Upadesha Sahasri and there are nearly 18 chapters or so and it is in two parts prose part and poetry part and this especially the prose part, it asks in the form of dialogue between the disciple, oh Guru teacher, you are telling that I am Brahman, but I am a Brahmana I am a young man and I am limited how can I be Brahman, so like that through questions and answers the teacher is not trying to force he cannot force but since the boy is pure and possessed of Shraddha, he tries to explain through reasoning etc. and that process takes through three steps, every process has to go through that three steps, it is inevitable and we all know what that steps are first is called Shravana, second is called Mananam, third is called Nidhidhyasana, so what is Shravana, Shravana means plain simple English translation, listening or hearing, here it is not so though a science computer student sits and listens to a lecture, that is also listening, but here it is totally different, what is listening first of all he is listening to a truth which until realization remains completely hidden, we have to only trust our Guru, a realized soul there is no way, you cannot ask, first prove there is God, then I will start believing in Him, if God is proved then there is no need for you to believe because belief is only, then you cannot see but when you are able to see, that is no belief that is an experience, so this person, first of all Shravanam, what is Shravanam Shravanam is the consistent and systematic study of the scriptures under a realized soul who uses certain methodology called especially Shraddha Lingas six indications to arrive at the central theme of the Upanishads and what is that central theme of the Upanishad, Tattva Masai the what that, that is the central theme, but through Manana, Nidhi Dhyasana when one realizes, then he doesn't say, I am repeating the central theme, but I know, Aham Brahma Asmi so how long this Shravanam should go on, until a person has no doubt about the scripture and about the Guru, Shravanam has to be done with complete faith that is what Narendra Nath, he said, I can't believe, but under the guidance of Sri Ramakrishna but especially when Sri Ramakrishna touched him, only then he started believing because some higher experience is necessary to believe without any doubt, the highest experience an experience below realization is necessary and that experience will come definitely to a person who is sincerely practicing, so having heard, not once, not twice, umpteen number of times, then the disciple is asked, now you are going to hear the same thing now you better do the second part what is it called, Mananam what is Mananam, Mananam is the second step where every single doubt that arises after hearing the teacher's statement about Brahman, so Brahman not only tells you are Brahman Guru also teaches him what is the definition of Brahman, so for example he is Sat, he is Chit, he is Ananda he is Satyam, he is Gnanam, he is Ananda pure existence, absolute existence, Swami Vivekananda's words absolute existence absolute knowledge and absolute bliss so that is what he will try to explain, now because of our old type of life, still we have not realized, until realization doubts will start to go on arising, so but at least for the sake of doing sadhana spiritual practice, we must be convinced intellectually that what the Guru says which is nothing but what the scriptures teach is absolute truth so this person will go on, what is called thinking about these things deeply, this is called contemplating, this is called studying and this can be done only through purified intellect you can't go to chart 4.0 and then ask these things so there is a lot of confusion about this consciousness this artificial intelligence is going to become even better artificial intelligence which we think is the real intelligence, stupid fellow I am a very stupid fellow but very wise, this is the statement people are making all the time so manana is the process by which every single doubt that can arise must be faced must be countered and removed, you can't keep it and then once the mind is 100% convinced then comes the third stage how to transform myself into that fact which is called mukti or darshana we call it vedanta, direct perception aparoksha anubhuti that is there is no question of seeing, hearing but becoming one with it and this process is called nididhyasana so when a student is endowed with faith he approaches a guru seeing the qualifications of the guru sometimes we get beautiful stories in the Upanishads in the Chandogya, last chapter 8th chapter we are going to see how the teacher sends the students four times to do tapasya and total 101 years for Indra of course only one student remained no wonder about it so this threefold process Ravana first he tells what the Upanishads are telling, then he tries to explain it and a long time has to pass and then slowly slowly the disciple as he develops shraddha and there are other things to aid this shraddha called nitya naimittika anusthanani so I have dealt with those things in the past who is an adhikari etc one has to not simply meditate upon these things one has to do what we call pancha maha igna, five great sacrifices all the time along with this manana and then doubts will be how much time it takes to get rid of the doubts only God knows and it can be done only by the grace of the God just like Narendra's doubts once for all have been set aside by the divine touch of Sri Ramakrishna so mananam is the second stage of enquiry where all possible doubts until the last doubt is completely purged from all his deep depths of unconscious even regarding the teachings of the teacher which is nothing but the teachings of the Upanishads are completely removed and then he is convinced and then he plunges into practice that is called nididhyasana so there is a beautiful definition of what is called upasana I am only giving the English translation and in his beautiful commentaries Shankaracharya gives this in upasana or contemplation is that particular process where the practitioner becomes completely one with the deity upon whom he is contemplating just like Shankara gives a beautiful example that if somebody comes and tells you are not the body it is impossible to believe there is no need to say you are the body so like that as we believe without the least bit of doubt with 150% conviction that we are the body so also this upasaka this contemplative realizes I am the deity upon which I have been contemplating all this time now you try to understand how Shri Ram Krishna contemplated upon Hanuman and became Hanuman and Hanuman means what contains nothing but Rama until Shri Ram Krishna became Radha he contemplated and because he was such a highly advanced qualified student he said within 3 days every one of my practices have become fractified so he became Radha Radha entered into him Sita entered into him Krishna entered into him Rama entered, Kali entered into him every deity that he contemplated entered into has become one with Shri Ram Krishna or Shri Ram Krishna became one with them that process of complete identification is called Nididhyasana so these are the 3 steps and everyday little by little we have to do it and I want to talk a little bit about this we claim that we are devotees of Shri Ram Krishna same thing you apply I am a Christian, I am a Buddhist etc. etc. I am a devotee of Shri Ram Krishna, I am specially mentioning and Shri Ram Krishna is shouting at the top of his voice that everything in this world is temporary and that is nothing new so you turn your attention that which is eternal, permanent which is my Divine Mother or God but how much are we able to transform Shri Ram Krishna gives example he has keen power of observation so he sees people they get married and they go on producing children year after year and so many children die in the process some die in even womb, some die in the child birth, some after living for some time the longer we see them the more will be our grief because of the attachment and yet they don't stop producing children even though they pay heavy price every time a child dies what an agony, intolerable agony similarly another observation people go to courts and the courts do not ruin but the lawyers ruin these fellows and in India it is famous I don't know I joke sometimes you know so sometimes it takes more than 100 years to resolve a case even today there are more than 100,000 cases of more than 50 years and Indian government is doing absolutely nothing to solve the to address this problem anyway that is India for you but what is the good thing about it so we are determined to get the judgment therefore we have no option but to be reborn so every Hindu believes I have to be reborn to get the judgment that is one of the important rationalization why we believe in rebirth I am putting it just lightly so this person has to transform his life day after day this is the process then we are all devotees of Shri Ramakrishna what is he telling that this world is see in everything even you look at newspapers you read what happened in the last year 7th of October and this one type of people came and then they killed, they kidnapped they burned they did so many inhuman actions and then how many lives have been snuffed out my point is not recollecting this point is even one second before these people died they were happily cavorting some are singing some are dancing some are drinking some are watching and it seems a music festival but they did not anticipate next life so many of our lives will be sniffed out there would be no more whether there is Paraloka, Adarloka whether we are going to be reborn they don't have even the time to contemplate on these things even though the scriptures are telling is eternal so if you don't behave you will go to hell but if you behave properly then you will go to God and we claim what is called profess faith but we are not trying to transform then there are commandments that whatever is given to you you are a trust and you should distribute it to other people you can be selfish nobody says that be completely unselfish it only comes to very few people but at least share it with them that sympathy and to live and so many ups and downs in life you have to bear and forbear so these teachings are there I am seeing everyday day by day as we become old our worldliness is only on the increase in most of us not on the decrease we cling to our possessions and daily we read Ramakrishna what a tragedy it is I cannot describe so all these classes are meant we have to frankly discuss what is our problem and I will go on telling also and so those who listen at least I hope temporarily there is some effect will be there coming back to our subject Ramakrishna assures that those who believe in my teachings I am telling you God exists I am not telling you out of studying the scriptures I know God exists because I see him even now here here here there is a beautiful incident and instead of we have to just reading we have to contemplate upon that Swami Vivekananda in his last days especially after his second visit to America and USA and came back one day he was sitting in that Velur Mutt that old Mutt building Swamiji's building and then there was a mango tree and they were sitting there and direct disciple many of them were alive and Swami Premanandaji he was doing worship of Ramakrishna so in the afternoon when they were sitting and then they only talk about God they don't talk about anything else they never gossip so Swami Premananda Baburao Maharaj came to collect Ganges water he went to the Ganga and in those days it was much much cleaner than what it is now and then he filled the pitcher came back and he was taking it and he had to cross that building and he had to pass through this direct disciples and Swamiji was in a high mood that day Swamiji means Swami Vivekananda and he started shouting where are you seeking for Brahman here here here is Brahman and he himself went into Samadhi Baburao Maharaj who heard it he went into Samadhi and most of the direct disciples went into Samadhi there were some devotees they did not go into Samadhi but their mind had ascended to a higher state of life so everybody experienced according to their status capacity and 15 minutes passed and Swami Premananda the persons who witnessed this were bearing witness like a statue with the water pitcher on his shoulders perhaps stood for 15 minutes in Samadhi absolutely no movement at all then what happened after 15 minutes Swamiji said that is enough now you go to your respective duties the moment he said that everybody's mind came down and immediately Baburao Maharaj went so that experience direct experience in the presence of great people and that is what is called Ramakrishna says cultivate always Satsanga so the Satsanga companionship of the Guru who must be a great soul and not a pundit it definitely brings its own results that is the true cultivation of holy company then this person he will develop some experience and such experiences convince him that I am moving slowly towards God so these experiences produce twofold result first is nobody can deny an experience because that will be only a truth and the second is that produces tremendous amount of bliss transformation and third effect of course our longing for higher and higher experience of bliss that is what goes on so having been doing this three the Guru in the course of teaching he teaches with the help of what we call shuttling us that is sixfold characteristics that he is interpreting the teachings of the scriptures in the correct way and this we will talk about in our next class Om Jananim Sharadham Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamame Mohur Moho Ho May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti Jai Ramakrishna