Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 05 on 18 March 2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Muhur Muhur Om Sahanavavatu Sahanobhunaktu Sahaveeryam Karavavahe Tejasvinavaditamastumavidvishahavahe Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hare Om May Brahman protect us both. May Brahman bestow upon us both the fruit of knowledge. May we both obtain the energy to acquire knowledge. May what we both study reveal the truth. May we cherish no ill will toward each other. Om Peace Peace Peace be unto all We have started studying the Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 1st Chapter. This belongs to Krishna Yajur Veda. And the purpose of any scripture, not only Upanishad, but Tantras, Puranas, the teachings of any saint and sage is to lead us to the highest state of bliss. This is what we need to keep in mind. So there were some very serious students who wanted to realize Brahman. Brahman is what Sri Ramakrishna calls in simple language, God. Realization means God alone is real. It means that we are also God. We are not separate from God. So long as we think that we are not God, we cannot escape what we call three Tapa Arishtas. Three sources of sufferings from the body-mind, from the external world, from the divine powers that rule this universe. So every spiritual aspirant should question this. Am I a human being? Because I am born of human parents, what is this life for? What is my real nature? What is the goal of life? And how we should be able to attain to that state which every living creature, albeit unconsciously, is seeking to realize. So the first and second mantras of the Shweta Shvatara in the very first chapter raise the following questions. What is the cause? This is the first doubt. So the first mantra is the doubt. It deals with the problem of causation. It analyses itself as follows. What is the nature of causation? Second, whence are we born? So the next question is with regard to the mystery of creation. Why should the universe come into existence? If at all it is a thing created by God, how can God, who is perfect, ever become imperfect? Here is a very beautiful thought. God can never create un-God, non-God. Atman cannot create an Atman. Atman means Sat, Chit, Ananda. That which is one, that which is eternal, and that which is infinite, that which is the very source of Ananda. What do we see? Everything is finite. Everything is temporary. Everything is mostly undergoing only suffering. If not karma phala, then what Buddha used to call existential suffering. Birth, growth, old age, disease, and death. Five states. So how can it be imperfect? This world is imperfect. Just look, open your eyes, read the newspapers. And if we know how to read the newspapers, then we know that a lot of truth about the world can be understood. We are creating first of all our own problems, and we create our problems, and those problems will affect everybody. Just as when we throw a pebble into a pond, not only there would be first some disturbance in the water, but as a reaction it goes on disturbing itself into infinite number of vrittis, waves. So the question is, if God is infinite, how can this imperfect world come out of the perfect, the finite, out of the infinite? But if a man is truly, potentially divine, is Brahman himself, why should there be so much of suffering, so much of variety in this world? And of course, following these doubts, why do we live? The third doubt is with regard to the mystery of life itself. Then the fourth doubt, where is our final rest? That means, where are we going? What is the mystery of death? Is there life after death? What is the fate of each one of us after death? And fifthly, under whose orders? That means, there must be somebody who has created this one, and that somebody must be maintaining it, because a lawmaker not only makes laws, but also keeps somebody to enforce those laws. This we can see under every government. So, this last doubt deals with the problem of evil. Why is there so much of evil? And why should there be suffering in this world? So, these Brahmavadins, they raised these topics, they raised certain possible solutions, and all the possible explanations for these mysterious riddles of the universe are considered one by one threadbare. Here it is only indicated like a small thread sutra, not threadbare. And all of them were found completely irrational, unsatisfactory, and no way to solve the problem. So, what is the answer? The answer is that the pure Brahman is neither the cause, nor something other than the cause, nor both, nor something other than both. That means, it is indescribable to say even God is the cause, is to attribute imperfection, unhappiness to God. Remember, there is an invariable law. Whatever is the nature of the cause, the effect also must be like that. And what do we see? We are just completely opposite to God's nature. If God is eternal, we are temporary. If God is wise, we are foolish. If God is all happiness, most of our life is nothing but full of suffering. Therefore, they came to the conclusion that Brahman, God, cannot be the creator. But there is the effect, this universe. We are the proof. What is the answer? There must be a cause. That cause cannot be the world because the world itself cannot cause, manifest itself. A clay cannot become pots. There must be an intelligent cause. And everything is unintelligent. Body is unintelligent. Mind is unintelligent. So there must be something which is intelligent, which is consciousness. Only that thing can really think, desire, create, change, destroy, etc. So Brahman is neither the cause, neither the efficient cause, nor the material cause, nor both. Then there must be a cause because whenever we see an effect, there must be a cause. If you see a baby, you cannot think the baby has fallen from the sky. We have to think there was a father and a mother and the baby is born because of the Sanyoga union of parents. So what is the discovery of these Brahmavadins? Brahmavadin means a person who is absolutely bent upon to become Brahman, to be the ultimate cause. They meditated upon and they came to the conclusion the cause is something called Maya. But Maya by itself is not conscious. So there must be some conscious being who is combined with Maya and that is what we call Saguna Brahma or Ishwara or what Sri Ramakrishna used to call Shakti. That is the cause. What is this Shakti? It is consisting of three Gunas. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. That is why the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna sing practically every day at the Vesper service. So one point we have to understand. All these questions are asked only when we are experiencing consciously a limited life. What does it mean? What do I mean? That means we don't ask these questions when we are in deep sleep. We ask these questions only when either we are in the waking state or in the dream state. That means what? These questions come only from the created point of view, not from the Brahman's point of view. It is a very difficult point to understand. From the standpoint of Brahman, there is no creation. Brahman can never be described, thought about. In fact, Brahman cannot be thought about as the Paramakarana. But we are here and we have a body. We have a mind and the mind consists of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Or in other words, time, space and causation. And so intelligence reflects itself. That is why we are called Jeevatma, individual soul. So every individual soul longs for eternal life and absolute knowledge and absolute bliss. But he doesn't get it. Hence the questions. Hence the seeking. That seeking and slowly progressing is called evolution. So what is the answer? Tentative answer is that Ishwara or Brahman plus Maya or Saguna Brahma is the final cause. It is the efficient cause and it is the material cause of the universe. Then how to get out of these limitations, time, space and causation? This is most marvelous analysis. What is called limitation is time, space and causation. What is it? I am eating a sweet but unfortunately it doesn't last long. Anything in this world doesn't last long. Any happiness doesn't last long. That is called time limitation. Then whatever we want, we cannot get it. We cannot get it everywhere. That is called space limitation. If I want for example, simple example, you have to use your imagination and further think about it. All these classes are meant for only one purpose. Only I can be conveying my understanding of the Upanishad or scripture and I can only tell you and what I tell is a fraction of what I understand because everything that I understand can never be conveyed as Sri Ramakrishna puts it so beautifully. How does a Prasagulla taste like? He says Prasagulla tastes like Prasagulla only. If a person has never experienced the Rasagulla, he can never understand completely but comparative knowledge is possible. That is to say, oh have you eaten a jalebi? Yes, yes. That is a sweet. This is also a sweet. But this sweet seems to be more tasty than the other sweet. That is all the descriptions we can give but Sri Ramakrishna had given a very telling example. Once a small girl asked her eldest sister who married, who was married, what type of happiness do you derive from your husband and what can the sister answer because there is no way the experience can be conveyed. So she said I cannot describe. When you grow up, when you get married, then only you understand it. That is to say, what is the Ananda that we get from God realization? Only when we become one with God, then only we know. Not only that, even if we experience something, it could be happiness, it could be suffering. In this world also, that also cannot be conveyed unless the person is experiencing. Somebody had a small ache and I am suffering from terrible ache as an example. And if somebody asks, how do you feel? I say it is hundred times more than what you suffered from your stomach ache or headache. This is how we compare and try to convey the information. So it is only from the relative standpoint, Saguna Brahma is the cause of the universe and he is the both efficient and material cause and he is the lord of Maya. He is called Ishwara and he can never be bound if we can realize Ishwara and we can also become free. We become masters of Maya and get out of bondage called Maya and Maya is expressed as limitation by time, limitation by space and limitation by Vastu. So these are the questions. This is what we described. First, Shreem Karanam Brahma Kutasma Jataha Jivam Akena Kujasam Pradishta That is, where from we have come, what is the ultimate cause etc. etc. We have already discussed that. Then they thought, they discussed and deeply meditated and they examined Kalaha, is it time? or Swabhavaha, is it nature, inherent nature? Niyatehi, it is some kind of law? Yadrucha, just accident? or Pancha Bhutani, five Bhutas? or is it the Prakruti? or is it the individual soul? or a combination of all these things? All these things are not the real causes. Why? Because all these things are part of the creation. We are asking, before creation what was there? And all these things are within the creation only. Time is born, then creation comes. Space is born with creation. Every object came out of time and space and yoga and all these are part of, after the creation started. But what was before the creation? That's why in Rig Veda, there is a beautiful Supta. It is called Nasadiya Supta. That is, what was there before creation? Same question. Same question came in Prashna Upanishad. Same question came in the Kena Upanishad. Practically, every Upanishad gives us the same thing, nothing else excepting these questions. Why do we ask? Because we cannot help but ask. Why do we ask? What is the reason? Because we are forced to ask, if I am suffering from headache, toothache, stomachache, I will be forced to say, I don't want suffering. And what is it that is causing suffering? So I go to a doctor. When a person, through experience, comes to understand that this life itself is ever-changing phenomena and nobody can escape the five causes of suffering, then that person in absolutely no way but approach a doctor. And that doctor is called Bhava Roga Vaidya, a physician for the entire disease called Samsara. Samsara is the greatest disease. That is why in Sanskrit, a person who is in Samsara calls himself Samsari. That means some sorry, always sorry. And he says, how can I be in some sorry and not become affected with sorrow? No, it is not possible. Get out. That is the only way. Ultimately, whether a person believes in God or not, he believes in these three things. I don't want to die. I don't want to be a fool. I don't want to suffer. I want eternally, infinitely existing and happy. Is there a way? Definitely there is a way. Otherwise, the Upanishads are meaningless. So, these Brahmavadians, is it time? Is it nature? Is it law? Is it accident? Is it five elements? And they came to know. They are all after creation only. So, they cannot answer our query. The query is, before creation, what was there? And then what did they do? They meditated. They did Dhyana Yoga. They deeply meditated. They deeply prayed. What did they say? Tat purushaya vidmahe, Mahadevaya dhimahi, Tanno rudraha prachodayat. Or Narayanaya vidmahe, Vasudevaya dhimahi, Tanno Vishnu prachodayat. Gayatri Mantra. O Lord, unless you reveal to yourself, nobody can know your nature. Same idea is given at the end of the Isavasya Upanishad. That Hiranyamaya, the Patrena, Satyase apetamukham, Tattvam poshan, Apavrun, Satyadharmaya drishtaye. Prayer is the only way. So, they meditated. Meditation means Upasana. Upasana means complete self-surrender. And the Divine Lord, like Sairam Krishna on 1st April 1886, He touched everybody. And He granted them that understanding that may your consciousness be awakened. Tesham eva anukarkampartham aham buddhayogam tadamyaham. And that is the only process. There is no other way. Therefore, what did the Brahmavadins do? When they did not get the solution to their query, therefore, they pursued the path of spiritual life which consists of self-control, and one-pointedness of mind, and control of the body and mind, and deep meditation, prayer, and finally, complete self-surrender. And by the way, Sashtanga pranama means complete self-surrender. And then they understood. What did they understand? That the Supreme Lord, from Him the world came, and with the help of His own Maya, remember, maya dhyakshena prakruti suyate saccharacharam Bhagavad Gita, which is the very essence of the Vedas, it is telling us, I lend my presence, like a magnet lends its presence, and Maya does srishti, sthiti, vinasha, again and again and again and again. So, this is what is meant by adhityashtati. This is only a summary of what we have discussed. Therefore, what did these rishis discover? That the cause and effect are never separate. Even though it appears that we are opposite in nature to Ishwara, we are really speaking none other than Ishwara. And so, to know again, I am a child of the immortal bliss, which Swami Vivekananda initiated with this mantra. Everybody, thousands of people. By the way, this is the thought, once Swamiji was asked, how many disciples you have? He said, what do you mean by that? I cannot count. I have thousands of disciples. But, if you read the life, actually, Swamiji calling a person, making him sit in a room, and whispering the mantra into his ears, only very few we get. Then, how did he claim that he has thousands of disciples? Because, like Ramanuja, they just open their mouth and initiate them. What is initiation? Inspiring people with the idea, you are all children of God, children of the Divine Mother, and once a great person like Swami Vivekananda, he was a Rishi, utters these words. These words come out of the mouth of such a person, they become mantras. That is, they will definitely save the person, they will go deep inside, deep into the depths of their unconscious, and from there, work from the bottom to the top. They may not recognize immediately, it may take time, it may take lives, but they cannot escape because, it is like Sri Ramakrishna says to one devotee, you rich, where do you think you will go? You have not been caught by a water snake, you have been bitten by a poisonous cobra, and at best you may croak once or twice, but you will be saved. So, I have summarized the first and the second. They did not get the answer, what did they do? They did Dhyana Yoga, Anugataha, Apashyam, and they saw the truth. How? Through Dhyana Yoga. That means complete surrender to the Lord, accepting you, give us that knowledge, there is no other way for us to realize you. And then, what did they do? Apashyam. The Divine Lord bestowed that knowledge to them. And what did the Divine Lord do? Devatma Shaktim Swagunahini Godham. That is, they saw it is the Ishwara, but Ishwara has a power called Maya, and this Maya hides itself in the form of Swagunai. What Gunas? Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. And what do these three Gunas do? They produce Nama, Rupa, and Guna. You see a human being, that is the form, and you say he is XYZ, that is Nama. And every human being can be distinguished through the form and through the name and through certain qualities. He knows a little bit of music, the other person knows a little bit of cooking, the other person knows a bit of science, etc. He is a good person, he is a very good person, he is a wicked person, he is a demon himself. This is how this Maya counts. What is this goodness, purity, knowledge, happiness? That means selflessness is the result of Sattva Guna. A person is terribly overcome by what we call miserliness, the tendency to accumulate everything, then he is overcome like a ghost possessing this person by greed. But if a person neither has ambition nor activity, all that he wants to do is like Kumbhakarna, eat and sleep, he is overcome by Tamo Guna. But these Gunas of this Prakruti can never manifest because it is just like a bulb with a filament. A bulb with a filament without electricity is completely useless. So the electricity, that means the awareness, consciousness, Chidabasa, that comes from Ishwara. But pure consciousness is not the cause of creation. Pure Maya or Prakruti is not the causation. It is a combination of what we call Chit, Abhasa, Chidabasa. Chit means pure consciousness. Abhasa means its reflection in the mind. So consciousness plus body and mind, that is what creates this creation. That is what they understood. And then they also understood. What did they understand? Earlier we thought time, then nature, then law, then accident, then Pancham-Utas, then Prakruti, all these are not the causes. That is what is said, यः कारणानि निखिलानि तानि All these earlier causes which these people intellectually thought and thought maybe they are the causes. Now, कालादि कालात्मयुक्तानि Without the power of God, all these things would not have been there. In fact, He created time, etc. Therefore, He is the creator. He is the sustainer. अधितिष्टति एकह All this, how did these Rishis understand? ध्यान योग अनुगताः So through this, that is what we have discussed. And I wanted to, these things is what is called very, very crystal clear. We have to understand. Now, what is this creation? Because if we understand the nature of creation, then only we will be able to conquer it. To know is to conquer. To be ignorant is to be rolled over. This is the psychological law. If you want to become more powerful than somebody, you should know about that person more than he knows about himself. If he happens to know more about you than yourself, he will be the master. If you happen to be knowing more than that person, you will be the master. And we want to be the masters. Master means to be free of bondage, to be free of limitation. I want, we want, every, each one of us, even a mosquito wants to be completely free from all the bondages, limitations. And all the limitations can be put because of three causes. Either we can put them as sattva, rajas and tamas, as Ramakrishna says, these three gunas. Or like three robbers. Even sattva guna, Ramakrishna explains through that marvelous story. Sattva guna, I am also a robber. Robber means who robs us of knowledge, who doesn't allow us to be free. We have to be wandering in the danger of the forest area. That should bring us to the outskirts of the forest and say that there is your place, which is outside the forest, which is beyond the samsara. So, one way of putting. What is another way of putting? Time, space and causation. That is why when we are in deep sleep, we are so happy because the question doesn't come. There is an object and it is a very desirable object. There is an object, which is a very undesirable object. There is another object, which is neither desirable nor undesirable. And accordingly, we want to control our activity, either moving closer to it or running away from it or not disturbing any thought because it is neutral. Either way, all of us, we have to want to get out of the three gunas or time, space and causation. Such a profound understanding we are able to get because of our Rishis. We have to be extremely careful. And our mind is what? Our mind is a product of time, space and causation. What is our body? A product of time, space and causation. How come? I was born so many years back. It starts with time. At such and such a place, I could not have been born anywhere else. Then I am growing up. Time is moving like a river. And slowly, I am a victim of time, victim of space and victim of certain causes created by my own actions and reactions. So, if we can understand the world, why do we say that we have to understand the world? Because we think this world, the first reaction would be this world is what it is. We are born into it. There is no escape. Such people, they only try to become a little more comfortable, but they have no hope of getting out. There are some other people, they succeed in enjoying, but then they come to realize every happiness that we get in this world is limited by time and quantity and quality. And so, we will have to get out of that limitation. Then, what is the way? Because of what we call causation. If we want to have the right effect, we have to produce the right cause. So, we are all limited by it. What is the problem with good cause? Because, however good a cause, a cause is effective only in time and space, in the framework of time and space. That means, no action can ever give us eternal, infinite result. Eternal means it cannot give many results, only one result. Infinite means it can only give whatever result, good or bad, for a very short time. And that doesn't really help us. So, what should we do? Get out of time, space and causation. Get out of sattva, rajas and tamas. Get out of time, space and causation, that means mind. That is why, in deep sleep, we get so much of happiness because time is suppressed. Remember, it is not overcome. But time being, we forget time, we forget space, we forget causation, we forget subjective and objective natures. We become completely one. And that is the cause of so much of happiness. So, in the fourth and fifth mantras, in these two mantras, two beautiful analogies are given. Before going there, I want to describe about a point and keeping that point in mind, then only we can understand them better. There are so many details. It is not necessary for us, even though it is mentioned here. And it is quite difficult also because it is based upon some of the enumerations of Sankhya Yoga. We don't need to do so much of details, but we can enjoy superficial meaning. That's what I am planning to do. But first of all, this world is compared to a wheel. And second is, the world is compared, the universe, the Jagat, is compared to a fast flowing river. Both have deep meanings and we will explore, as I said, the essential point, but not non-essential details. We don't need to go. Fourth mantra goes like this. This is the description of this whole Samsara as a Chakra. The point I wanted to emphasize is, usually we say it is Samsara Chakra, but here the word used is Brahma Chakra. Not here, but later on. Brahma Chakra. What is the Chakra? Chakra means a wheel. What does a wheel do? Where does it begin? Where does it end? Every point is a beginning, every point is an end, and it goes on and on. It indicates a long journey, and life is a long journey, and it is a journey from the lowest state, Tamoguna, to the highest, Satvaguna, and beyond. It is a journey. First it started from God, we descended, which is called involution. But then we reached the bottom most, utmost bottom. There is no way to go down, which is inorganic matter. And then we started our journey back, like a ball, which goes down, hits the floor, and then it starts to rise up. Inevitably, we are now going back to the source. So to say, somebody had taken a ball, and with the palm, gave a big blow, and it went down, and depending upon the blow, it goes up and up, until it reaches the hand of the person altogether. We have come from Ishwara, we are going back to Ishwara. And if we can surrender ourselves, he says, this ball has become useless ball, holy ball, therefore it is useless for my Leela, and permanently we become one with him, free from this Samsara Chakra. And the fifth mantra, gives the analogy of what we call a river. Same thing, the river comes from the ocean, and it is taken up by the hot rays of the sun, and is carried in the form of water of cloud, and it is let again in the form of water, becomes a rivulet stream, rivulet river, and ultimately reaches the ocean, again to be lifted up, and then go back. But don't get the idea, after reaching Moksha, again we will have to come back. First of all, we don't know. Secondly, but our scriptures emphatically tell us, once a person gets Mukti, that is the end of it. So with this background, what is the background? Like a big wheel, and a wheel must be supported by spokes, and by a middle portion, and somebody must have got it together, and that is very tellingly, what we call analytically, sorry, analogically, it is being described here. And quickly we will go through this. TAM EKANEMIM TRIVIRUTTAM SHRODA SHANTAM SHATARDHARAM VIMSHATI PRATYARABHIHI ASTAKAIHI SHADBIHI VISHWAROOPAIKA PASHAM TRIMARGA BHEDAM VI NIMITTAIKA MOHA So many descriptions are given. So what does it mean? First of all, this mantra looks very abstrusive, but it is not really that abstrusive. Too many details are given, and as I said, I will not go. So this is using Sankhya terminology. Since we are not familiar with, we are not even familiar with Vedanta also, not to speak of Nyaya, Vaiseshika, Sankhya, Yoga, Purva Mimamsa, Uttar Mimamsa. Those who are serious in studying Vedanta need not go through the terminology of other schools of Vedanta, but at least we must be familiar with Vedantic terminology, especially whichever Ramakrishna Mission Swamiji takes up classes, he will always do it through what we call Advaita Vedantic basics. Why? Because Ramakrishna categorically declared to obtain or to become Advaita, not to understand Advaita, but to become Advaita is the final word in spiritual progress. After that, there is nothing else. But the pathway is Bhakti. That is why we have to enjoy these things. So this mantra is Sankhya in terminology and uses a highly telling imagery. It conveys the sense that to one bound by the intellect and the senses, this universe and its cause and even the nature of this universe is explainable only as an expression of the Supreme Being. Hence, God is meditated, Brahman is meditated upon as the wheel of this universe. That is why it is called Brahma Chakra. What is the point? If it is Samsara Chakra, we will never get out. But if it is Brahma Chakra, it is Brahma from whom this Samsara has come. Ultimately, every effect must go back to its cause. If Samsara is the cause, then we will always be in Samsara. But if God is the cause, at some point of time, inevitably, we have to go to God only. There is no other way. So, some points are there. Through meditation, Rishis found out. First, the universe itself is compared to a wheel in order to indicate its dynamic nature, its perpetual motion. Second, it alludes to the cyclic nature of every process, the movement of heavenly bodies, the rounds of birth and death, the succession of evolution and involution, continuously going, and that is why Srishti is called Anadi. Third, the repetitive process of history, the alternation of happiness and misery, this goes on and on. So these sages, we don't know how many, saw the wheel of Brahman, which has one felly, triple tire, 16 end parts, 50 spokes with 20 counter spokes, and 6 sets of 8, whose one rope is manifold, which moves on 3 different roads, and whose illusion arises from 2 causes. This is the description of the Brahma Chakra. We have to understand in bracket this universe. Now, we will go a little bit into these details. Brahma Chakra, wheel of Brahman, refers to the universe, and if the cause of the universe is Ishwara, the universe is none other than Ishwara. Let us always keep this point. However much a person may look, he is a demonic person, his body is unhealthy, his mind is unhealthy, he is unhappy, his whole life is a misery, but he is none other than Ishwara. That is the point we have to understand. Non-different from the Creator, and who is this Creator, Ishwara? He is essentially Brahman only, and Ekarimim felly, that means the outer rim, the outer circumference of the wheel, is the wheel we are talking about. What are we talking about this outer circumference? Everything is in Maya. Since the spokes, and the middle part, and how it is fixed, everything is within that wheel. So everything, birth, death, movement, cosmos, everything is within Maya. That is why it is called Ekarimim. So Ekarimim means, the word signifies the power of Maya. And then Trivrttam, that is, it has got triple tyre. That is to say, this outer wheel is a combination of three tyres. What are they? Three bonds or hoops. What are they? These are consisting of three Gunas, Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Then these Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, or in other words, time, space, and causation, manifest as what? Shodashantam, 16 end parts. What are they? Five Jnanendriyas, five Karmendriyas, and the mind, and then five Bhutas, five elements. So five elements represented as what we call five sense organs, and as five sense organs of action, and then the mind. Three into five, 15. Five Pancha Bhutas, five Jnanendriyas, five Karmendriyas, and one mind, 16. And Shatardharam, 50 spokes are there, just like a bicycle you take, or what is called, even an oxen cart, you see, the big wheel, wooden wheel, it has some spokes. Here it is 50 spokes. What are they? These spokes make the motion of the wheel. They not only hold it so that it will not collapse, but they make the motion very smooth. What are they? I am not going, as I said, because this is terrible. The five misconceptions are different kinds of ignorance or doubt described by Patanjali as ignorance, and self-love, attachment, hatred, and clinging to life. Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Vesha, and Abhinivesha. Then 28 disabilities, which are the causes of misconception. 9 inversions of satisfaction, means 9 dissatisfactions. 8 inversions of perfections, or Ashtasiddhi. Then 20 counterspokes, 10 organs of perception and action, and their corresponding objects, sense objects. So these are the 20. Shadbhi, Ashtakai, 6 sets of 8. An octet means a set of 8. These octets are explained as, first of all, Prakruti, consisting of 5 Buddhas, Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, and Earth. Mind, Buddhi, and Ahamkara. These are the 1, 8. Then that of Dhatu, bodily substance, skin, cuticle, flesh, blood, fat, bone, marrow, and semen. The 8 supernatural powers, Ashtasiddhis. And the 5 types of feelings, bhavas, righteousness, dharma, knowledge, jnana, renunciation, majesty, unrighteousness, ignorance, non-renunciation, and poverty. And then the octet of Gods and incorporeal beings, Brahma, Prajapati, Devatas like Indra, Chandra, etc., Gandharvas, Ekshas, Rakshasas, Pitrus. The octet of virtues we have to develop. Remember, in the Pooja Paddhati, 15 flowers are mentioned. Of them, Ahimsa, Paramam, Pushpam, Pushpam Indriya, Nigraha, Dayakshama, Jnana, Pushpam, Pancha, Pushpam, Tatha, Param, Iti, Panchadasai, Bhava, Pushpai, Devam, Archai. So what are they? Compassion, forgiveness, absence of malice, purity, absence of effort, goodness, liberality, and absence of longing. Then, Vishwa, Rupa, Ekapasha. One rope. What is that rope? A rope called attachment or Raga, which manifests itself as love for anatma, children, food, and heavenly world, everything. That is why in another class I said Papas of three types. One is evil actions, because they bring inevitable suffering. Then we get what is called Punyam, because even Punyam causes rebirth for experiencing the result. Therefore, rebirth itself is a result of Papam. Of course, both these spring from ignorance about our true nature, which is called Vidya. So all the three Papas. So this Vishwa, Rupa, Ekapasha. Attachment. Attachment to good things. Finally, attachment to even a good life. That is why in the Ashtapasha, eight fetters, even Lajja, Jati, Kula, and Sila. Sila means good conduct. Oh, I am such a good person. I never deviated from good conduct. This feeling is also terrible Ahankara. It will also bind people. And then three Marga Vedam. Three roads. What are they? Righteousness, unrighteousness, and knowledge. Dvih Nimitta Ekamoham Adhimaha. This reception arises from two causes. Virtuous actions, Dharma, and sinful actions, Adharma. So the knowledge of the Veela of Brahman was revealed to the illumined sages in the depths of meditation. God himself has given them that Buddhi. If you analyze the entire universe, it consists of what? Maya. And the manifestations of Maya in the form of time, space, and causation. And in the form of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. If a person is endowed with more Sattva, he will be following a virtuous life. If he is endowed with Prajoguna, then he will be terribly attached to this world. And as a result, he will be doing things which he should not do. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. But if a person is overpowered by Tamoguna, then unfortunately, his life has not yet started. Even though he is alive, he will be like a stone for all practical purposes. So this is why this Mantra 4 has given us the comparison of what is called Brahma Chakra. Again I will remind you. Why is it called Brahma Chakra? This Chakra is nothing but manifestation of Brahman. And if we can understand it, what is manifestation of Brahman? Without manifestation, Brahman is called Parabrahman. But with manifestation, Brahman is called Ishwara. In the words of Sri Ramakrishna, Nitya to Leela, Leela to Nitya, Brahman and Shakti. When do I call something as Brahman? When there is no Srishti, Stithi, Vinasha. When do I call the same Brahman as Shakti? When there is Srishti, Stithi and Vinasha. And we are already in this universe. So our business in life is to evolve slowly from Tamoguna to Rajoguna. There is no other way. You can't jump to Satvaguna. Otherwise Satvaguna itself becomes a terrible Tamoguna. So from Tamoguna to Rajoguna, Rajoguna to Satvaguna, and then go to Ishwara pure consciousness, and then only we will become Jeevan Muktas. So the causal Brahman or Ishwara appearing in association with Maya and the phenomenal universe is described also as a river. What are we talking about? The same Brahman as a causal Brahman or Ishwara or in association with Prakruti or Maya is appearing to each one of us as this entire universe. And now that is described as a flowing river. And as I mentioned, there are certain resemblances are there. I will come to that. The mantra goes like this. That is, we came to know that this universe can be composed like a huge river and every river has got certain qualities and those qualities are beautifully described here. Now in today's class, I will just point out why is this universe compared to a river. So the points of resemblance between the river and the universe which make the metaphor suggestive and significant are as follows. First, as the river water comes from the sea and goes back to the sea continuously, the universe springs from God and goes back to Him. Second, as the river is full of potential dangers, but then just as the river contributes to the prosperity, cultivation, convenience of people who make use of it for irrigation and communication, the world also can help, can hinder the spiritual evolution of those who have the right outlook on it. Any object in this world can be used or misused. Third, the waters of the river are always changing and yet they keep a unity because of the banks and is known this is Ganga river, this is Yamuna river. Unity is there. Fourth, as the waters of the river are not different from the ocean, the universe is not at all different from Ishwara, nor different from God in the absolute sense. So, these are the four points of resemblance which we will talk about in my next class. Om Jananim Sharadam Deveen Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamami Mohan Mohoho May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Ramakrishna