Bhagavad Gita Ch18 part 31 on 02 April 2022

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Janameem Sharadaam Deveem Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Sritva Pranamaame Mohor Moho Om Vasude Vasudham Devam Kamsa Chanuram Arthanam Devaki Paramanandam Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum Sarvopanishadokavo Dhogda Gopalanandana Partho Vatsa Sudhir Bhokta Dugdham Geetam Ritam Mahat Mookam Karuti Vachalam Pangum Langayate Kirim Yath Kripathamam Vande Paramanandamadham In our last class we have been studying the 18th chapter 54th verse. We have just started. Brahma Bhutah Prasannatma Nashochati Nakankshati Mah Sarvesh Bhuteshu Madh Bhaktim Labhate Param Earlier the Lord had said those who have fulfilled, those who have acquired 17 spiritual qualities what do they become? They will become Brahma Bhutah. Their mind will be able to understand who is Brahman and who am I? And what is the relationship between me and Brahman? In simple words that I am Brahman. God alone exists. Nothing else is there. There is no second other than Brahman, pure consciousness, Atman. That is called the state of Advaita. No Dvaita is there. That is the meaning of becoming Brahma Bhutah. Then what happens? What is the result of attaining this realization? This is a very common thing in life. Whenever a desire comes, we have already thought about it. Why is there a desire? Because I do not have something. So I have a desire. Nobody desires what is undesirable. Maybe they do not know the distinction between what is truly desirable and what is not. But everybody thinks their idea is by obtaining this object I will be a happier person. I am happy, okay, but I will be a happier person. This is the most marvelous point we have to understand. Everybody is a happy person until he starts thinking that even though I am happy because I have certain things, but the moment I start thinking I would not be a happy person unless I gain something. Then all the things he possesses do not give him any happiness. A deep lacuna, something lacking, develops in his mind. Not because he does not have, but he has, but that is not enough. I am not talking about very mundane things like food, clothing, etc. Most of us, most of the people on earth, at least there is some means, of course there will be a small percentage of unfortunate people not even having sufficient even to live in a simple way. It is a fact of life we have to take note of. But most of us have more than enough and yet our mind plays tricks. So what happens? If we get this thing, then we will be very happy persons. Here is a person, he understands the truth that I will never be satisfied whatever worldly object I can lay my hand upon, even if it be mine. What is the reason? Because my body is changing, ephemeral. My mind is ephemeral, birth is ephemeral, death is ephemeral. Everything in this world, what we call worldly life, life itself. In fact, there is nothing called life other than worldly life. Then you may ask what is spiritual life? Spiritual life is a worldly life, means staying in the life and trying to get out of it. Until we get out of it, life means only worldly life. What do I get? This is the question we go on asking. So we think we know the answer, but only much later to our great regret we come to know that whatever I have been desiring is not enough. As I mentioned earlier, Mark Twain has written a beautiful book. It is a small story, Five Boons. It is available freely on the internet. It is a most marvellous spiritual story. So ultimately the only thing that confronts man is death. Death is the ultimate form of change. So we are all frightened of so many things. Every day is changing, every minute is changing, but we are not frightened. But death frightens us. So we think that we have to leave something which we know and we have to counter perhaps which we do not know. So it creates a tremendous amount of anxiety within ourselves. So coming to this beautiful point, a person at last understands something which can give me eternal and infinite solution to eternal, infinite longing, desire. Yes, and in simple words, if I can get God, getting God means what? Becoming one with God. Then all my problems will be forever solved. And through all these teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, until now they are all meant to lead a person from wherever a person is to this state of realisation. Such a person is called Brahma Bhuta. What does he gain? So this is not that. A Brahma Bhuta, a person who has become one with Brahman, who has realised Brahman, he doesn't ask these questions because he is like a person who is immersed in enjoyment and the mind is not there even to ask that am I happy or not? A happy person, so long as he is experiencing happiness, he doesn't take care of time and space. So naturally the question doesn't come. Am I a happy person as I am now? It is only when the person happens to fall from that state then all these problems definitely will arise. So a realised soul doesn't have any question because he knows the highest truth, I am happiness. I am not having happiness because having happiness means through some media, objects, body, mind. Definitely those three should be there. No, I am happiness. I am one with happiness. So the question doesn't come. But previously sometimes he was becoming one and then again separating. That is a state of spiritual practice. Now he has permanently become one. His separate identity is permanently destroyed. Such a person is called Brahma Bhuta. So let us continue with this background. So what happens? Five results are outlined. As I mentioned, a Brahma Bhuta is not asking but one who is desiring, I want to become one with God to satisfy him, to inspire him, to make him move fast forward towards it, to only make him desire that one goal again and again and to prevent him from desiring anything else. This verse, the Lord is inspiring us. What does it mean? One who has become Brahman and has attained the blissful self. So what happens? Does not grieve, first. Does not have any desire, second. And he becomes the same towards all beings. Fourth, he attains supreme devotion to me. What is the first thing? First of all, Prasannatma, extremely happy person. Atma means here not Paramatma but mind. Such a person's mind. What are we talking here? Because we are nobody, no scripture, no saint can ever talk about this state where he is completely merged in one. But we are talking about a person who has realized and then his mind has come down and he has knowledge that I am Brahman and yet there is a body-mind which in simple words is called Jeevan Mukta, living free. For such a person, what are the characteristics of a living free? We have seen this kind of descriptions many times. Just to remind us, at the end of the second chapter, Arjuna puts out a question. What are the characteristics of a Samadhiman Purusha, Samadhistasya, Sthitadhi? How does he behave? How does he walk? That means, what is his state in life? Then he says, such a person has no desire. First thing is, he has no desire. Second thing is, whether what appears to be happiness or unhappiness for other people. So far as that person is concerned, he is immersed in total bliss. And he doesn't desire, he doesn't grieve. If he loses something, that doesn't make him happier. If he doesn't get what he desires, first of all, there is no desire. But by chance of itself, if something comes to him, that person is not going to become more happy. Nobody can make an ocean either more or less. Nobody can add or subtract from the infinity. So that is why it is compared to an ocean, Samudra. Just as any amount of water added to a Samudra, to a sea, to an ocean, doesn't increase the quantity or lessen the quantity, a Jeevan Mukthas, happiness, cannot be increased or decreased. What about unhappiness? There is no unhappiness. Because what we call unhappiness, for him, it is pure happiness. How come? How come? Because I can give you two examples. First example is you are watching a cinema and there will be what is called happy events, unhappy events, hero, villain and tragedy, comedy. But you are enjoying every bit of it. How could you enjoy? Because this is called aesthetic happiness. What does it mean? It means it is realistic enough for you to enjoy, but unrealistic enough for you not to be affected by it. Somebody acted very cruelly and you are suffering, identifying yourself with the victim. That is part of the aesthetic happiness. And if some rich man is torturing a poor man, or a strong man is trying to kill or to torture and to torment a weaker person, the better the acting and the better will be your sense of happiness. This point requires tremendous amount of thinking on our part to appreciate it. So you are enjoying it so thoroughly, every bit of it, tragedy or comedy, because that is the nature of aesthetic enjoyment. Somebody had painted a very horrible old person, the embodiment of suffering, but it is so realistic, so excellent a painting. You appreciate it, you praise it, you reward the person who did it, you enjoy it thoroughly. How do you enjoy? Oh, how marvelously I am feeling this person has taken me to be an embodiment of dukkha, shoka, sorrow, tragedy, unhappiness, suffering, and at the same time tremendous amount of happiness. How wonderfully this person has depicted it. So Jeevan Mukta's life is, he knows the nature of the world, that ultimately it is like a cinema show. This is one example. Another example is, he has complete knowledge, excepting Brahman, nothing exists. Some enemy comes. He is not an enemy, enemy from our point of view. That person doesn't say, Lord, you have come to me in this form. I mentioned earlier, when a great soul, Pauhari Baba, was bitten by a scorpion and He exclaimed, a sweet message from the beloved God has come in the form of the scorpion. What did Christ say? Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. They do not know what they do. In the eyes of Christ, His body is a shell. Sri Ramakrishna graphically described, Oh, Christ suffered so much, the pain of crucifixion. This was the exclamation of a devotee in front of Sri Ramakrishna. And Sri Ramakrishna hearing it said, but Christ knew it is a shell. So you take a pillow case and you go on pricking it, nothing is going to happen to you because you know that it is only just a pillow case. So our body is like a pillow case. That is why it is compared to a dress. So first is as if we are enjoying an aesthetic enjoyment, whether it is a cinema, painting, music, or poetry, whatever. Second example is in the person of a realized soul, in his eyes, a mosquito, an elephant, a dog, a sage, and an untouchable, what Hindus used to call untouchable. All these things are absolutely Brahman in different forms. Sri Ramakrishna's vision, he was describing after his Nirvikalpa Samadhi. He said one day, I saw an urchin, a mischievous boy. He had stuck a small piece of wood into the anus of a dragonfly. And you can understand how much pain from our point of view. Somebody does the same thing to any part of our body, we will be feeling excruciating pain, even accidentally if it happens. Sri Ramakrishna said, first I felt great pain and then I started laughing, O Rama, you have become the dragonfly you have become that wooden stick, you have become the urchin and you yourself placed this wooden stick in your own body and you are pretending to suffer. When a person has that kind of vision, everything becomes Brahmananda Sagara, as if a person has become drowned in the ocean of Brahmananda. Brahmananda Rasa Anubhoti Kalikai Vivekachudamani graphically explains it. So his mind is absolutely immersed in bliss and that is called Prasannatma, always great pleasure. Notice, when you are very happy, you can forgive your greatest enemies. When you are very happy, you become extremely generous. When you are very happy, even in this, there is no place for hatred, for dislike, for feelings like that. Such would be all the time condition of the mind of a Jeevanmukta. This is the first. Nashavajyati. Before a person attains that realisation, we all go through ups and downs. We have done good things, we have done evil things, we might have done many things. So sometimes when we look back, why did I do that? And why did I not do this? No. A Jeevanmukta will never feel because I did it. Not I did it. The Divine Mother who made me do it. Oh Mother, it is You. Very soon we are going to come to that shloka. In this 18th chapter, Ishwara, the Divine Lord, the Creator, sitting in the hearts of everybody is making us all play as a puppeteer makes the puppets play according to his story, according to his wish. So, Nashavajyati. There is no regret at all. Nakankshati. And he doesn't desire anything. Who can desire? A person who feels I do not have anything, he alone can desire. Here is a person, he becomes, what does he become? Aptakamaha. He is a person. God doesn't require anything because God is called Aptakamaha. In the Mandokya Upanishad, we get it. Aptakamasya ka sprihaha. Can there be any desire in Bhagawan who is Aptakamaha? Why? The Upanishad, in grandiose language, describes some of the characteristics for our sake. It says Bhagawan is Satya Sankalpaha, Satya Kamaha. Whatever he desires, instantaneously becomes a reality. Like, whatever we imagine, in our dream, it becomes an instant reality. You think yourself, some place in Himalaya, and immediately you find yourself. And then, Satya Kamaha. Whatever desires come, that desire is instantaneously fulfilled. That means, the scripture is encouraging people like us, if you become Brahman, then whatever you desire, and whatever thought comes, immediately it becomes a reality. But in fact, we have to understand, when a person becomes Brahman, there would be no desire, there would be no mind. Without mind, there is no question of I lack something, I require something, and I have to obtain it, to make myself full. All these qualities become completely meaningless. Even in our deep sleep, all these things become totally meaningless. So, this is the third one. Prasannatma. His mind becomes absolutely serene, and filled with happiness. First, Nashvachati. In our regrets, whenever an idea, a twinge of the idea, that I regret, or I am unhappy, completely positive, then Nakankshati. Absolutely no desire. That's why I told you, even if you have the smallest desire, for example, you want to eat a sweet, when you are eating this sweet, under certain conditions, like you are hungry, and the sweet is more or less good, the place is good, you have obtained it in the right manner, and there is nobody who can disturb you, and under those conditions, when you are thoroughly enjoying, then you are not aware of time and space. That is the nature of happiness. So, Nakankshati. There is nothing. Aptakamaha. I am everything. Not, I have everything, but I am everything. Then, this is the third one. What is the fourth one? As soon as this Jivanmukta, wherever he looks, wherever his sight goes, whatever he hears, whatever he smells, whatever he tastes, whatever he touches, it is nothing but Brahman in the form of sight, Brahman in the form of sound, taste, smell, touch, etc. This is only Brahma Drishti. Wherever his sight goes, he perceives only Brahman. When? Not when. At all times. This is the fourth result. What is the fifth result? This is called Bhakti, and what is called? Supreme devotion. What is supreme devotion? Parajnana. Supreme Jnana. Because even this word Bhakti, devotion, when we use from the ordinary point of view, you see, I am devoted to God, I am devoted to Buddha, I am devoted to Christ, I am devoted to Krishna, Rama, Kali. That means I am separate, God is separate. Though I have devotion to Him, we are separate. But such a separation is totally annihilated when a person becomes He has not gone near Brahman. He has become Brahman. Not that. Even that word, he has become. Previously he was not Brahman, he did something, and he became Brahman. This is what we have to understand. The highest truth is you are Brahman, and you are Brahman, you are Brahman, you will be Brahman, you will be Brahman. You are never a Brahman. But your mind came in between and separated and said, I am not Brahman. And that mind has been totally removed in the form of what is called thought. This is called And then you understand, Oh, I mistook myself. I thought I was not Brahman. I attained Brahman doesn't mean after a long time, you go nearer and nearer and like a drop of water, somehow it traveled all the way, escaping all the hardships of getting dried, getting drunk, etc. And then finally it reaches the ocean, falls into it, Oh my God, I have become completely free. No. It is a notion that I am not, that is removed, and the notion, ever existing notion, I am that becomes strong. This is how we understand. This is called bhakti. This is called knowledge. This is what Swami Vivekananda says. There is no difference between bhakti and knowledge, not only at the final stage, at any stage. Our knowledge is, I am, I belong to God. Our bhakti is, I belong to God. And then when we progress a little, not only I belong to God, God belongs to me. And God also is devoted to me. Not only I have devotion to God, but God also has love for me. We don't call it devotion. In fact, take any number of examples, even among animals, who is having more devotion? The mother, a mother dog, which just gave birth to puppies, and with a thousand eyes, it is protecting the babies. Now the baby doesn't know anything. It may not even know, excepting that it knows, my source of security, my source of survival, it is this. And so it gets attached. What is its devotion to its mother? Comparatively very little. Why? Because its understanding is only that much. But the mother knows, this is my puppy, and I will protect it, even at the cost of my life. Take any animal, even the smallest animal, in its own capacity, it fights. Now answer me this question. Whose devotion is greater? Mother's devotion, or the offspring's devotion? I have to say, who is the mother? Divine Mother. Who are all of us, including living, non-living, we are all children of the Divine Mother. Remember, from a Vedatic point of view, there is nothing called non-living. If Divine Mother is the mother, from whom five elements have come, they are all Sat, Chit and Ananda Swaroopas. So the Lord is telling, if Jiva Atma, somehow slowly acquiring spiritual qualities, the more spiritual qualities, the more is the progress, and finally, it is getting rid of all the ignorance, and then he realizes, I am Brahman. That is called Brahma Bhoota. As soon as he realizes, not only that, to the extent one realizes, that I am related to God, means I am a bit of God. It is an idea, you have to think over. So, if I am a bit of God, I am a servant. If I am a little more bit of God, I am a friend. If I am still more bit of God, I am a child, I am a parent. If I am 100% God, I and God, He is my beloved, I am the lover, He is my beloved. Sri Ramakrishna put it so beautifully, sometimes God is the parent, and the devotee is the child. But sometimes, the devotee becomes the parent, and God becomes. Without me, this God is completely helpless. Describing about Yashoda, Ramakrishna says, without me, who is going to look after my Krishna? That's why, with a thousand eyes, the mother is awake all the time. Even slightest whimper, and then I have to narrate, because these are most marvelous things. Eric Fromm has written a beautiful book. It is called The Art of Loving. In that, he is describing beautifully, if a person has started to cultivate the art called love, then how it works? He gives the example of a farmer cultivating fields and his wife. They are newly married. The wife had given birth to a baby, and the farmer had sown his seed. In those days, they had to depend upon the seasons for rain, etc. After backbreaking work, both of them are sleeping, because both wife and husband, both have to work. One in the field, another at home, feeding all the workers, etc. And then suddenly, the atmosphere has changed, the climate has changed. The slightest change in the climate, suddenly the farmer comes out alive. And then he understands, because his whole mind is on the field, and the harvest is ready, and any type of rain, etc. will be disastrous for that situation. He is very alert, because his mind is on the field. This is called watching with a thousand eyes. But even if it is thundering with the greatest atomic bomb sound, it doesn't disturb the wife at all, because her mind is not on the fields. But the slightest movement, whimper from the baby, instantaneously she comes out awake. With a thousand eyes, her whole body, mind, is totally dedicated. And now tell me, who is more dedicated? Is God the Mother dedicated to us, or we are dedicated to them? And this is called Bhakti. What is Bhakti? Oh Lord, I thought, I have developed Bhakti for You. Now I understand that You love me more than all of us put together can love You at any time. And that knowledge makes us take complete refuge at His Lotus Feet. What a marvellous thing! This is the result of becoming one with Paramatma. And that is a marvellous thing. Then we enter into the next one. And the same Shankaracharya, he reinforces the idea, इस्मिन्सर्वाणि भुतानि आत्मैवाभोद्विजानतः तत्रकोमोह कह्षोकः एकत्मं अनुपर्ष्यतः He in whom it is the Self, being that, has become all existences that are becomeings. For He has the perfect knowledge. How shall He be deluded? When shall He have grief? Who sees everywhere the Oneness which is the Divine Lord? And Bhagawan says, Such a person with this knowledge gains the highest devotion to Me. मद्भक्तिम् लभते पराम् So Bhakti was defined. What is Bhakti? Supreme knowledge. What is the supreme knowledge? That there is no difference between Me and God. That is one expression. But from the devotee's point of view, there is no other being who belongs to Me to whom I belong. And there is no other being for whom I am so dear. I may forget God. Don't you forget God? When you are in deep sleep, do you remember God? But does God sleep? 24 hours He was doing. A beautiful incident from the life of Sri Ramakrishna or Swami Adbhutananda. Swami Adbhutananda Lattu Maharaj. He was the sevak, the attendant of Sri Ramakrishna. And then God alone knows who is serving whom more. So one day, Adbhutananda was serving Sri Ramakrishna and suddenly Sri Ramakrishna put a question to him. My boy, do you know what your Rama is doing? Rama is the chosen deity of Ishta Devata, ideal of Lattu Maharaj. Of course, Lattu Maharaj said, what do I know, sir? What he is doing? What my Rama is doing? And then he says, My boy, when the whole world, it was night, when this event was happening, when the whole world is completely asleep with a million eyes, God is looking after them, protecting them and doing what is absolutely necessary. Lattu Maharaj was shocked. Sir, do you mean to say human being is sleeping, he is supposed to serve God and he is sleeping, but God without sleep he is protecting? My boy, that is what God is. Not only that, there is a beautiful story. How many marvelous stories we have in our Vedantic lore. One day, on the Mount Kailash, Shiva and Parvati were there and Parvati here depicted as an ignorant woman playfully came behind Shiva and closed his two eyes. Immediately, a third eye sprang from his and then Parvati was shocked. Lord, what is this third eye? Then he said, My darling, don't you know, one eye is the sun, another eye is the moon, and this day and night, the sun and the moon are sustaining, protecting, looking after, caring for every Jeeva. And what you call for a second in your calculation is several thousands and thousands years in human calculation. And without the sun and moon, how long can creatures survive? That's why I sustained them. My third eye is the sun and the moon. This is the origin, through which God is protecting. What is the whole point? The whole point is we become the greatest devotees. A Jnani becomes the greatest devotee. Only a Jnani can become the greatest devotee. And how does he obtain that Jnanam? Through Bhakti. So through Bhakti, he attains Jnanam. And through Jnanam, he attains the highest Bhakti. In the final run, there is absolutely no difference between these two. And that is what Swami Vivekananda ends his lectures on Supreme Devotion. The second part of the lectures on Bhakti Yoga. He says, ultimately, Bhakti and Jnanam are one and the same. Some people call it Bhakti, devotion. Some people call it Jnanam, knowledge. In reality, there is no separation at all. But he added Para Bhakti and Para Jnana. Supreme Devotion is Supreme Knowledge. But I say, even 1% of Bhakti is the result of 1% of knowledge. And when my knowledge becomes 2%, I get 2% of Bhakti. How do I get 2% of Bhakti? Through 1% of Bhakti. When I do my best through that 1%, God becomes pleased and increases the knowledge. Buddhi Yogam Dadamiyam. When He gives me more Buddhi, means capacity to understand, my devotion increases, doubles, then becomes, doubles, then it doubles, doubles. Ultimately, there is no difference between Bhakta and Bhagwan. That is what Sri Ramakrishna used to chant at dawn and dusk, Bhagavata, Bhakta and Bhagwan. What is Bhagavata? Knowledge. What is Bhakta? Devotee. What is Bhagwan? Is the Ishwara. So, it is this knowledge which is called Bhakti. And the person who has knowledge is called a Bhakta. The more we advance in Bhakti, the less becomes the distance between God and us. Ultimately, we come to know that there is absolutely, there are no two, what exists is only one. And then, the Lord continues, the glory of Bhakti in the 55th. By that devotion, earlier He said, Brahmabhutah, obtain supreme devotion. And He is referring to that. And then He says, by that devotion, supreme devotion, He knows me. Knows what? Knows who I am, what I am, as I am. Not partial, not a little bit, but 100%. Who I am, what I am. Then, having known me in truth, He forthwith enters into me. This is one of the, again, greatest verses we get in any spiritual literature. So, only through Bhakti, only through devotion. Devotion doesn't mean only emotion. We have to be very clear about it. Usually we say, when I am sitting for worship, or japa, or study, or satsanga, I must feel an emotion. Oh, how wonderful God, I cannot describe you, and I am so happy to think of you. This is the emotion we depend upon. That's not the, that is part of it. It is not bad, but the real thing is that foundation, out of which, like waves, millions of these emotional outpourings just rise and stay for some time, like waves, like bubbles, and merge again. That foundational knowledge, that is what is most needed. Bhakti, through that, Parabhakti, Maam, Abhijanati, He comes to know. How? We come to know, here is a tree. We come to know, here is a table. A tiger comes to know, here is a deer, which I can kill and eat. That is not what is meant here. Abhijanati means absolute knowledge. Not janati, Abhijanati. Abhi means samantataha. That means, everything about me. What is everything? I am the only existence. Everything is existences with Nama Rupa. Manifestations of one pure existence, one pure knowledge, one pure Ananda. I am the only reality. Sathyam, Gnanam, Anantam, Brahma. That is the knowledge. And then, what does that knowledge give? Who? Tattvataha. In reality, in truth, 100%, Yavanyas Chasmi, Mam Abhijanati. Yavanyas Chasmi. That means, who am I? And, what am I? Tattvataha, having complete knowledge about myself. Tattvataha Gnatva, having known without the least bit of doubt. Not only that, not partially, not 99%, but 100%. Tattvataha means, in truth, Vishate. He enters. Tat Anantara. As soon as that knowledge comes, he comes to know, who am I? And, what am I? What happens? Vishate Mam. He enters into me. Like, I'll give you an example. Because, these examples sometimes can mislead us. Because, our mind, buddhi, is not that deep thinking. Many times, I give example of a drop of water. It is somewhere 1000 miles. Somehow, a person transports it. And then, what happens? It is not some person transports. So, it joins a little bit of small stream. And, the small stream joins a small river. A small river joins a big river. Finally, the big river moves towards the ocean and enters it in a way. That is how, from our viewpoint, spiritual progress is made. But, that is not the real understanding. Real understanding is, so many waves arise. And, the wave thinks, Oh, I am separate. That is an ocean. And, this is me. I am the wave. I am a bubble. The moment, a bubble says, I am a bubble. And then, quarrel will come. Jealousy will come. Desire will come. I am a small bubble. I am the smallest bubble. And, you are a big bubble. And, you are the biggest bubble. You are a gunda bubble. And, I am an innocent bubble. You are the president of a big country, declaring war. And, I am a small country, trying to somehow cope with your battles. This is our present stupid understanding. No. So, what is a wave? What is a bubble? Water is a bubble. Water is a wave. What is an ocean? Water is the ocean. Ocean is a Upadhi limitation. Wave is a limitation. And, bubble is a limitation. We should not think in terms of limitations, small or big. We should think in terms of water. I am water. A wave is a water. Ocean is a water. What is the difference between water and water? Absolutely, there is no difference at all. This is the real meaning. Bhaktiya Maham. When a person obtains that supreme knowledge, expressed a supreme devotion. See, like what you know. A mother, this is a better example. After many years, somehow the child is studying in a foreign country. And, many years she could not come because of COVID, because of incompleteness of his studies. Somehow he completes, and he takes some holiday, and he returns back. Just imagine, what is the heart of the mother thinking. Every day, he informs, I am coming on such and such a date. And the mother's heart, she is counting seconds, when is my child coming to me? And then, one day he comes. And then, she embraces, rushes, and tears come from her eyes. You imagine. You have to imagine to understand this. So, this is what happens to a devotee. When a devotee, the nearer he approaches, who is approaching? This is also a delusion. We are approaching God. That is the greatest delusion. God is approaching to us, approaching us. As we remove, we discover Him more and more, inside us, outside us. That is the truth. So, understand. What is it? There is a relationship, between God and me. I am similar to God, and God is similar to me. I belong to God. God belongs to me. And then, the final realization is, so, I am also Atma. God is also Atma. There is no Jeevatma. There is no Paramatma. This is the essence of this verse. If this much we have understood, that is enough. So, Bhaktia, Maam, Abhijanati. Bhaktia, through devotion. Abhijanati means, knowing, without the least bit of doubt, perfect knowledge. It is called Abhi, not merely knows, perfect knowledge. And only through Bhakti. Bhakti means, as I said, knowledge. Through knowledge, He will know, what does He know. So, Maam, who am I? Me. Yavanyas Chasmi. That is, what am I? Me, who am I, what am I? Tatvadaha. In truth. That means, no error at all. No place for error. And once, He comes to know. What is that? Aham, Brahmasmi. Tato Maam. And as soon as this, Tato, Tatvadaha, Matva. Having, known me, through that knowledge. What happens? Maam, Anantaram, Vishate. He enters into me. Now, this word, this is called, Pravesh Vashiya. In the, both Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, and also, in the, Brahmasutra Vashiya. Shankaracharya gives us, beautiful hints. Vishate means what? Here is a human being. He constructs a house. And one, good day, he fixes to enter into that house. And then he enters. He is different. The house is different. He can enter into the house. He can get out of the house. And the house and this person, completely remain totally, different. That is, one meaning. Second meaning is, that here is a, drop of water. Somehow, by somebody, by river, it is carried. And it is, taken into the ocean. And he becomes, and then he is forever, the individuality is destroyed. And he thinks, I am the ocean. That is another example. But the third example, I gave just now, is most marvelous. What is it? A wave, thinks I am the wave. It is, but it doesn't know. A whip of air, wind, makes, whips up the, a bit of the water, and envelops it. And that is called wave. Similarly, a smaller whip, of the wind, envelops, even smaller, measurement of water. And it is called a bubble. How long does the bubble last? As soon as the wind is blown, immediately, it becomes. So, it was never separate from the ocean. Without ocean, it cannot arise. But for a short time, the wind makes it think, that I am a bubble. I am a small wave. I am a big wave. I am a tsunami, etc. But, minus the, wind. There is nothing but, pure water. And that is what called, entering means, knowing, that I am completely one, with the, Bhagwa. So the, whole Indian philosophy, is divided into, finally, three schools of Vedanta. Dualistic, qualified non-dualistic, and, non-dualistic. And it can be illustrated, like this. There is, wood, and, nail. And through the, help of the, nail, a carpenter makes. And without the nail, there is no chair, no table, no bed, no door, etc. They are together. They are completely separate. And they serve each other. This is the philosophy of, dualism. Everything is different from, everything else. But, the second example is, you take a pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, put it in the water, and then as you stir it, after sometime, you see only, either water, or milk, or whatever. And but, even though it is not visible, the salt is inside, the sugar is inside, and it can be separated. In the first case also, you take a, plier, and separate, the wood, from the nail. Similarly, you, distill, the water, whether it is sugar, whether it is salt, it is not appearing, but it is there. It has never become one. But, this is called, Ramanuja's, Vishishtadvaita, example. Two types of, unions. But the highest type of union is, pour water into water, pour milk into milk, pour oil into oil, this is the, final union, and this is what is said. Shankaracharya, raises here a question. First comes knowledge, and then, this person, enters thereafter, after sometime. He says, no. And he gives an example. As soon as we take light, and, we take it near that snake, which we thought was a snake, the darkness disappears. Now, what is the time gap, between the disappearance of the darkness, and the appearance of the rope? Nobody can say, it is a billy second, no. Instantaneous. In fact, both, happen, simultaneously. And that is what Shankaracharya's contention, as soon as a devotee, obtains, this knowledge, Aham Brahmasmi, then, simultaneously, that Aham, totally disappears, only, Brahman, remains. And then, that person becomes, completely, one, with that. Aham, Brahmasmi, nothing else, excepting, nothing else remains, excepting, me. Then, we move on to the, verse 56. What is the, essence of this, 56th verse? It says, here is a person, earlier, two verses, is the description of a, Jeevan Mukta. What is the result of, Brahma Jnanam? And what happens, what happens, to this person, when a person, really, obtains, Brahma Jnanam, the, becomes one, he becomes one, and then, if he is still alive, he is called, Jeevan Mukta, living free, and then, he is always happy, then, he never regrets, or is never unhappy, and he never desires anything, if something comes, nothing happens, something goes, nothing happens, because he knows, there is nothing can come, nothing can go. Everything, is Brahma. There is no, coming and going, from infinity. Then, he looks upon, whatever he sees, there is no, lower, higher, good or evil, or, Dharma and Adharma, or, nothing desirable, undesirable, everything is pure, desirable, Paramatma only, so, Aham, Brahmasmi, everything is me, the whole world is me, that is what, he looks, but that is our goal, how to attain to that goal, that is where, 56th is coming, my friend, I have described to you, what is the result of, becoming one with me, but, now, again I am telling, many times I told you, what you should do, you should become, a great Karma Yogi, a great Bhakta, and, the, real way, is, Sharanagati, Bhagawan is specially, emphasizing, Sharanagati, complete surrender, to God, and, whether you call it, Gnana Yoga, Yoga, or, Bhakti Yoga, it does not really matter, this is what, he is trying to, in the next, few verses, without, my grace, and, my grace will not come, until, you are ready to receive it, and, that, Yogyata, that fitness, to receive the grace, is called, Sharanagati, until, you take refuge in me, and, become open, and, then I bestow my grace, and, then only, you get that knowledge, and, then there afterwards, you, become eternal, like me, and, you will never again, become deviated, or, separated, from that state, beautiful ideas, so, even though, this Sadhaka, Karma Yogi, engaged in all kinds of action, and, this man, who has taken refuge in me, reaches, by my grace, the eternal, and, imperishable, abode, three points, way to remember, whatever, wherever you are, some activities, will be there, according to, your, station in life, according to, the circumstances, you are in, according to, the situation, at that particular, moment, time, and place, you will have to, perform all those things, how, a man, you perform, everything, as, we had discussed earlier, as, worship of God, remember, even though, engaged, in any type of action, he never specified, you have to be, only doing, puja, you only going on, pilgrimage, only studying, scriptures, you cut, another person, to pieces, you cut, the whole world, to pieces, you destroy everybody, not, out of your, evil desire, but, as a matter of duty, as a warrior, wherever, there is evil, it is your duty, to fight, and this is an, extraordinarily, great point, we will discuss about it, in our next, tomorrow's class, but, you will have to take, refuse in me, what is refuse, to Lord, all the situation, is the whole world, is created by you, all of us, are created by you, the situation, is created by you, and, the different, activities, are created by you, and, ultimately, you love us, you are drawing us, in various ways, to your words, with this knowledge, only, relying, totally, upon God, that is called, completely, surrendering oneself, to God, then, when you take, refuse in me, my, grace, not that, it is not there now, but, you will be able, to receive it, only, when you, open yourself, to it, that opening, is called, taking refuse, then, what happens, shashvatam, avyayam, padam, apnoti, padam, that highest state, of Brahman, realization, you will attain, which is shashvatam, eternal, and, which is avyayam, once attained, it can never be lost, we will discuss, this beautiful point, may, may, Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and, Swami Vivekananda, bless us all, with bhakti, Ramakrishna,