Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 29 on 31 August 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad. This is the sixth chapter in our last class. We have completed practically the second section. And it starts like this. The Shweta Ketu became ready after how many years? We do not know. But his father now became Guru and he started teaching. And I was thinking about it. Why did not the father send his son, as he sent earlier, to relearn the final knowledge, Brahma Jnana? So one of the Shankaracharya's comments, not very convincing to me at least, is that Shweta Ketu was afraid he will be sent back to the teachers. And why should he be afraid? If he is ready, then he should be more than joyful. There is somebody who is capable of teaching and I am ready to receive. There should not be any hesitation, much less fear. But my suspicion is that it does not mean that the teachers from whom he had learned for 12 years were all Brahma Jnanis. May not, may be not. But now Shweta Ketu had realized that he need not go anywhere because what he sought was knowledge of Brahman and that knowledge is available right at home. But we should forget that at home, this is my father, etc. Here is one who is aware of Brahman. I am very eager to realize Brahman. So I surrender myself to him, not as a father, but as a student. Remember all the peace chants. May all the qualities that are required for the successful realization of Brahman be residing in me. And when a person is ready, we have to understand God has granted all the qualities because according to the amount of spiritual qualities that we acquire, we will be ready only to that extent to receive the truth. So here the teacher, aware of Brahman, is ready to teach him and earlier he had given a hint and that hint also we have to understand that everybody in this world seems to be running after the world, but really no. As I mentioned many times, each soul is potentially divine and if that statement be true, then everybody in this world seeks only one thing and cannot seek anything else. That is, I want to be Ekam. I do not wish to be anything else excepting what I am really. Not that I have lost my real nature, but I have forgotten. Now a hint that Uddalaka Aruni had already given. Now when the Shweta Ketu is ready, when the disciple is ready, he is trying to expound. This is called Sat Vidya, that is to say, knowledge of Brahman. Sat literally means existence. This is one of the three Swaroopalakshana. The characteristics, even those Swaroopalakshana characteristics of Brahman are not really characteristics, but only hints because in this world it is possible to have characteristics, but in Brahman, being one, characteristics will not be there or not necessary also. So now he had already given the example that what is the goal of everybody, be they claim that we are worldly people or they may claim we are spiritual people. We want to be Brahman. We want to be God, but expressed in indirect words. I want no death. I want no ignorance and I want no suffering or unhappiness. So then the Aruni Uddalaka starts in the second section and the whole of second section is only giving this. In fact, the whole of the sixth chapter is called Sat Vidya in every section. It is only the exposition of this towards the end what we discussed in the introduction that what are the Shraddhingas, that is six characteristics by which one come to know what is the essence of any particular this one. So the beginning, the end, the repetition, that which is unique, etc. and that is we have to remember here towards the end nine times or Shweta Ketu having exposed the nature of Brahman, thou art that. This is the one of the four famous Mahavakyas, Tattva, Masa, Shweta, Ketu. So we have to remember that one throughout this sixth chapter. Then it will be very useful for us to understand. So Uddalaka starts his teaching that there is only one thing. At the beginning there is only Brahman and after the creation it is only Brahman and when the creation goes back into its cause there is only Brahman and this is also the same topic that we see most clearly in the second and especially in the third Valli of Taittiriya Upanishad. So how do we know what is Brahman? When Bhrigu asked, he said, Yathobha Imani Bhutani Jayante, from where this creation has come, from by what the creation is sustained and is living and in the end unto what is the creation going to return? Srishti, Sthiti and Laya. And what is it? Only Brahman. So that is what he started. In the very first one we have seen that, So Deva Saumya Idam Agra Asit, Sat Eva Saumya O pleasing one, Idam, this universe, before this universe was created, what was there? Sat Eva, only existence, pure existence. Let us not forget, pure existence means Brahman. Then what about the existence of myself, yourself, the tree, everything we see that is also nothing but Brahman. I gave an example from Sri Ramakrishna. I saw once the whole universe is as it were made up of only wax. That means there are trees, there are buildings, there are rivers, mountains, everything that we see, but they are all made up of wax. And then what are the different things? Differentiation is only in the form, in the name and in the way we use them. For example, gold is the only real substance. And in that gold, even billions and billions, infinite number of names, forms are inherent. So what is the difference? So when an ornament is made, for example, ornament is a famous example, popular example, but not necessarily because in Mysore, they made a beautiful seat out of pure gold. Only the Mysore Maharaja could sit on it. So it is supposed to be furniture, but it is made up of gold. If you happen to go to Mysore Palace in the museum, you can see it is even now kept there. So anything made out of gold, where was it? It was in the gold only. So we should not say that nothing was there before, but suddenly this golden ornament, golden chair has come out of nothing. No. What we have to understand, assume, presume that all the possible ornaments or anything made out of gold were there in the, in what form? In two forms or two ways we have to understand. One is unmanifest form. Another is useless form. So if somebody asks you that I want to have some butter from you, can you lend me some butter? He says, yes, yes, I have got butter. And then where is it? Give it to me. Unfortunately, it is in the milk. What is the point of having, saying that I have butter? Yes, it is there, but then it has to be brought out. Just as we cannot see the butter in the milk, so also we cannot see this entire universe is there, entire creation is there. That is one of the points. What is the second point? This unmanifest something called the world is useless, just like unmade ornament in the form of gold is completely useless. So everything is there. Is it really there? Because I am just hinting so that we can exercise our intellect. So you say that, what are you saying? That the whole universe is there. That means there is something, at least what is called Swa, Gata, Bheda. There is a differentiation within, like even though in a seed we see the entire tree, but actually we don't see it. It is there with all its roots, trunk, branches, leaves, etc. But we are imagining because what does the rationality say? If it were not there, it will never be manifested. Whatever is not there in an unmanifested form cannot become manifest if it is not there at all. Very, what is called pure reason tells us that one. Then some logicians say, oh that means Ekam eva dvitiyam, you are contradicting it. No sir, we are not contradicting it because it is there. What is the answer? Various authors try to give an answer, trying to quell the opposition's argument, but it cannot be quelled like this. But there is only one answer. Sri Ramakrishna gives that beautiful answer. He says, like your dream. Where is your dream? Within your mind. Where is this creation? Within this mind only. And that was the thought with which we stopped in our last class. The whole world is nothing but consisting of, made up of ideas. But what are you talking about? I see outside, there is a house. So, if you are in your house, then is the house outside you or inside you? Naturally, you say, oh I am inside the house, meaning the house is outside me. I am only making a little bit of fun through this rationality argument. So, that means, if the house were not to be there outside you, could you perceive it? Yes, of course. Godfather tells, without the least bit of hesitation, yes, in your dream, you are in a house. Somebody comes and asks you, where are you? I am in the house. Where is the house? It is outside me. And then your dream is broken. And then you recollect. And that somebody who asked you, is he outside you or inside you? So, is he other than you or you? And are you inside the house or outside the house? And if you are outside the house, that idea that it is outside and inside, this is what I am trying to slowly draw your attention. These ideas, outside and inside, which we have discussed quite elaborately in the fourth chapter of the Mandukya Karika, Alatha Shanti Prakaranam, quoting the oppositions, arguments, etc., they are nothing but thoughts in our mind. What is the point? This dream, it is a thought. And within that dream, my dream was inside me. I created it. That is also a thought. Then I came. I was inside the dream. That was a thought. Then my dream is broken. That is also a thought. Then what about the waking state? That is also a thought only. So, the external world is there. No, it is not there. What is the point we are driving at or I am driving at? If you are talking about creation, thinking that in the beginning, Brahman alone is there. In our reality, the world was there, is there because Brahman alone is there. It is beyond time because eternal means beyond time. Beyond time means past, present and future. These ideas are completely nullified, squashed. So, when we have the mind and mind is part of the creation, then, oh, scriptures talk in the beginning, only Brahman was there and it has Nama, Rupa, etc., the whole creation and then it thought this is for the sake of people. So, that is what this scripture is. We have to understand from the Advaitic point of view, not from the dualistic point of view because there are two types of understandings. One is called Parinama Vada, actual creation. Another is called Vivarta Vada. Seemingly, it is there like when we are watching a cinema getting absorbed. So, Advaita always has taken up only Vivarta Vada. Seeming is only appearance. A famous example, I see a snake, only seemingly what really is there is only the harmless rope, etc. So, that is one angle if you are interested in going a little bit too deep. Now, I will give you a second argument because these are not necessary but still I want you to enjoy it. From the Advaita point of view, actually there is no creation at all. Just as when you come out of the dream, you say there was no actual dream, it is there in the mind in the form of thought but really there is no creation because lot of problems, not one problem, many problems creep up if we accept the theory of creation and this is what people ask. I mentioned earlier there was a very nice Rabbi, a Jewish preacher. He was a married, of course, married person and most of these what is called people following Judaism and Islam, most of them want only to get married because God created this world and said go and enjoy it. So, they are married people. So, this person was married, he had a daughter, very nice child and at the age of 8, I do not remember but she suddenly died and a big doubt came in the mind of the Rabbi that I have been believing, preaching sincerely that God existed. If God existed, I am innocent, my daughter is innocent. Why has she to die at this young age, whole life is in front of her and I am old person and still the younger person is supposed to live but she passed away. So, he wrote a book out of his despair and that book of course is nothing but his ideas about God, about creation and there he asks two questions. What is it? Is God good or is God powerless, powerful? Is God good or is God powerful? And what is the answer? If he is good, he should have saved my daughter but he did not. That means if he is good, every good person wants to help only. He wants to help but he could not help. That means he is helpless, powerless or he may be having the power but he didn't feel like helping. That means he is not good. So, that book became what is called bestseller and that is very, very important for all of us to understand that these questions, these are all God is good, God is not good and God is evil or he is not evil, he is powerful, he is not powerful, he can do anything, he cannot do anything. These questions, Advaitin stance is there is no creation at all or to make us understand this point, they come one peg down, one step down and they say that it is all eternal. This creation is eternal. There was no time, it was not there. Then what happened? So, there are periods, cyclic periods are there. There is one what is called agent of Brahman called Brahma and he works for a day and then he takes rest and then his day consists of 1000 yogas and his night also same time and when he gets tired and then he goes to sleep and the whole universe goes to sleep. Like when we sleep, the whole world goes to sleep. Have you noticed it? When you are completely asleep, the whole world also is completely asleep. Just as a sleeping tiger cannot kill you, harm you, so also the world cannot do anything to you so long as you are blissfully unconscious of this world. So, this is the idea given tentatively. I say tentatively and then what is the explanation of this variety? Some are fortunate, some are unfortunate, some are strong, some are weak etc. The answer is it is all because of what the Jivas were doing just before going to sleep. Just as you put a bookmark on a book you are reading and then next morning when you wake up, you take it up, continue from there. So, also our Jivas have done their own karma and according to their karma, God has got vast knowledge which particular results have to fructify in the next birth and so accordingly, Brahma doesn't create a new but he creates situation where every Jiva has the opportunity to reap his past karmas and also to create new karmas. This is a very important point. Otherwise, it doesn't become theory of karma. It ends up as fatalism. That is, we are all bound, we have no freedom. No, the very law of karma says we have got some freedom. So, to quell, to quench all these doubts in the second section, this second mantra, here the Uddhalka is teaching Shweta Ketu. First thing is that even though it was not manifest in the form of unmanifest creation was there, where? In Brahman. The name of the Brahman is called Sat. So, he says at the beginning, beginning means before the creation came, only Brahman, Sat was there. Sat, Eva, Soumya, Idam, Agra before creation was there. Then he continues that there are some people who say there was nothing and that is also refuted especially by Advaitins and Shankaracharya and his teacher, his grand teacher Gaudapadacharya also. What is it? Even the Nastika, he has to, Nastika means non-believer, has to say in the beginning there was nothing, there is nothing and then he goes further. Idiocity cannot go further than this. This nothing is Ekam, Eva, Advaitiyam. This nothing was one without a second, only nothing was there. Now grammatical also it is very wrong because the moment you say the chair is, we are presuming there is a chair. So, when you are saying wherever there is a verb, there must be a person to whom that verb means action has to be attributed. When you say that Rama is, so the is is meaningless without Rama. So, nothing is means there is no existence at all and if there is no existence, nothing can come out of it. In fact, we cannot even contemplate what is called non-existence because even to contemplate, we can only do two things. There is a chair in front of you, so I see a chair, therefore the chair is or the chair was there, somebody has taken it away, so the chair is absent, so it is not there. That it is or it is not there are both functions of our thought process but there must be some existent object about which you can say it is or it is not. When we say it is not, it does not mean it is non-existent, it means it is absent. Even when somebody argues, suppose I take a book and burn it, what do you get? Ashes. Yes, the book form is not there but ash form is there and is there any scientist who can say I will go on burning it or doing something and melting it in acid or whatever until it becomes completely nothing. No, something cannot become nothing and nothing cannot become something. That was the point he posed and then he says it is illogical and that is being explained in this second mantra. How is it ever possible, my dear boy? Why did Uddalaka addressing his student, now forget about his son, his student. My dear, is it because you are my son? No, no, because you are a such good student. The more intelligent the student is, the more loving the teacher becomes because when something becomes lovable, it is inevitably loved. For a teacher, a student becomes less lovable when he is not able to understand, catch what the teacher is teaching and wasting his teacher's time and teacher is sweating because he wants to convey but is incapable of conveying. Not that he is incapable of conveying, the student is incapable of receiving it. This happened. Ramakrishna wanted to educate one uneducated person, wanted to educate another uneducated person. You can imagine what would be the result. So he is trying to teach the difference between short vowel and the long vowel and then he said and Swami Adbhutana, Latu at that time, he said then Sri Ramakrishna, oh very good, you are capable of, repeated, however many times Sri Ramakrishna is trying to prolong it, he is not able to. He said enough is enough, in this life you are not going to get anything. The real purpose, not that Latu Maharaj was so dull, he was the most intelligent person, he could grasp. Sri Ramakrishna wanted to show as an example that the so-called literacy is not a requirement for Brahmagnanam. That's all. Coming back, he says, oh pleasing one, because you are able to understand whatever I am teaching you instantaneously. That is why in Taittiri Upanishad, we have seen that prayer for Medha, prayer for Eshas. Why is it? May I become most famous among all the existing famous people. Why? Because, he says, may my teacher be successful. That means, may he have that capacity to convey. May I be successful, that means, may I have the capacity to understand immediately so that my teacher need not go to so much of trouble. That is the real prayer. Every student, every audience must pray to us, pray to the God. So, he says, How is it ever possible? The father said and then he brings up that argument. How is it ever possible? From complete non-existence, pure non-existence, pure existence, how is it possible? It is not possible. That means what? If existence is coming, it must come, it must result only from existence. What is the difference then between Brahman and the world? Unmanifest world is Brahman. Manifest world is called world. Manifest Brahman is called world. This point, I think in the sixth chapter of the Panchadashi, Vidya Aranya, he expounds this particular idea. So, this is what he says. It is irrational to think something will come out of nothing. Now, in the process of creation, we also have to take count of time. So, when we say, when the opponent says something has come out of nothing, so there was a time when nothing was there and then from that nothing, something has come. If that something has come, for example, if a table or a chair has to be made by a carpenter, previously what was there? Wood was there. Without wood, it is impossible to make furniture. Without gold, impossible to make any ornaments, anything out of it. So, you can multiply any number of examples. Now, here what is important for us to understand that creation means there must be a time. That is why the first thing that creates is called time and space. They must go together because something was not there. Then something we see. So, there must be a point of time when that so-called non-manifest something must have become manifest. And for that purpose, without time, we cannot think of creation. Without space, we cannot think of creation also. Why? Because if you want to do any activity, say supposing you are sitting. Where are you sitting? In space. Space means emptiness. So, can you sit if there is no space? Therefore, even creation requires space. Without space, you cannot cook. You cannot even flutter your eyelid. So, try to understand that one. Therefore, there must be a point of time. Can you imagine before that point of time nothing was there because you yourself were not there? And how could you imagine something when you yourself were not present there? It is impossible. Only by analogy, we understand things in the past and also try to guess what is coming in the future. These are some of the intellectually challenging points we have to be very careful to understand. So here, a simple way to understand is there was something but the whole universe was there but in what form? Unmanifest form. अव्यक्तादेन भूतानि व्यक्तमध्यानि वारता अव्यक्तनिधनानेवा तत्रकापरिदेवना So, कथम असतः सत् जयते इतेः That means what is the conclusion? सत् एवा सोम्या इदम अग्रे आसित Existence was there but within it, the important point, not mere nameless formless existence but names, forms, qualities, everything is there. प्रकृति is there in that सत् but in what form? Unmanifest form. सत् एवा सोम्या इदम अग्रे आसित And what is its nature? Earlier he said, this is the third time we are getting it, एकम् एवा अद्वितियम् एकम् एवा and अद्वितियम्, three words. Why three words? Because according to Advaita, Brahman is devoid of three differences, विजातिय, सजातिय and स्वगत. These three words indicate that this differentiation was not manifest but it is there in the beginning in an unmanifest form. Don't say that there was no difference there. Difference is there, the whole universe is there but in what form? In unmanifest form. That is why there was no difference in an undifferentiated manner. So just to recollect, विजातिय भेद, that is two different species. One is a coconut tree, another is an apple tree, completely different from each other. That is the difference. सजातिय, there are two apple trees are there. One bears sweet apple, another is sour apple. So therefore, it is there, same species but there is vast difference between these species. That is called सजातिय. And take only example of one apple tree and it is divided into leaves, blossom, fruits, branches, trunk, root, etc. That is called differentiation in itself. And Brahman in that state of non-manifestation is completely bereft of all these things. Because if the name, form, qualities and all these differences, all the differences only between forms and names and qualities, if they were not there in a non-manifest form, they could never ever come out. It is impossible. So that is what he said, एकं एवः अध्वितियं अग्रेः आसित्, before creation and from there the creation has come. एवं सत् एवः, only the existence alone, निर्विकार, without any form. असंग, completely devoid of attachment. चिद्रोप, only pure consciousness. अकंड, indivisible. And अवाधित, there is nothing that can negate or separate. सत्ता स्वरूप, only in the form of आई, आई, आई, असित, is there. So the idea of something coming out of nothing is absurd. So Vedanta says the world always existed. But it did not always exist in the way that we perceive. What does it mean? With names, with forms, with qualities, with differences. This is what Shri Ramakrishna implies when he says, a snake is always a snake whether it is lying like a long rope or it is coiled up. But as I mentioned earlier, So whether we see a snake, it may be just lying down without coiling up, bending. Or it may be crawling in a peculiar way, snake-like zigzag motion. But we are perceiving it. Means our mind is perceiving it. When there is no mind, who is there ever to say whether it is व्यक्ता or अव्यक्ता, manifest or unmanifest. So Shri Ramakrishna's words are beautiful when it is in the long form. That is called निर्गुण. When it is coiled up or moving, it is called सगुण. There is nothing else. This is what we discussed in our last class. And everything that we see is only a thought in our mind. There is a beautiful hymn composed by Swami Abhedanandaji. It is called उंकारस्तुति. There is very beginning, very first shloka. उंकारवेद्यः पुरुषः पुराणो पुधेष्च साक्षि निखिलस्य जन्तो यो वेत्ति सर्वं नच यस्यवेत्त परात्मरूपु भुविरामकृष्णः So the divine Lord is there in the beginning. So what is the room? Paratma is there. Nobody knows. He knows everything. Nobody knows it. Because He is not only pure sat, He is also pure chitta. And He is Purushaha, pure consciousness. Puranaha is eternal. And He is the ever witness to this buddhi even after creation has come. And He knows everything and nobody knows anything. That means if I know something, it is He who is knowing even though I am claiming I know it. Even when I say I do not know, even that idea I do not know is only He can say I do not know. Only a conscious being can tell it. So these are the important points. Then the question that comes is why is this scripture, especially the Upanishad, going to so much of trouble to tell us about creation? Well according to Advaita point of view which is called Vivartavada because what is our experience? The creation. We are part of the creation. I am a man. I am a woman. And I am a student. I want to know Brahman. All these are only in creation. Brahman never tells that I Brahman want to know Brahman. This is very important for us. So why is the creation? Because the Rishi comes down to our level so that he can make us understand yes the creation is there. But what is the point? The point is what you call creation. First point is it is nothing but Brahman in various forms, names and with various qualities. First point. Second point is you have to understand everything is only an effect. Everything has got every effect has a cause. If you can find out your cause, it is not that my cause is different, your cause is different, a tree's cause is different, a dog's cause is different. The whole world has a whole. If you take it as one single effect, then its cause is Brahman. And then remember the law, whatever is the nature of the cause, the effect must have exactly the same. No change ever takes place according to the Advaita. So this is first accept and then we feel happy. Yes, yes. Now I understand because if you say creation doesn't exist, I will never understand. Having slowly it will take, you know, you have come from Brahman and you are actually moving towards Brahman and one day must come when you are going to reach Brahman, then we are very happy. But afterwards, even when the effect is resolved into the cause and then the effect will not be there any longer, where there is no effect, there cannot be any cause. That means when we are negating cause and effect, then what remains is only Brahman only. That is called Apavada. Adhyarupa means accepting our point of view. Apavada means when we are ready, removing this notion that there is a world, it is created, it has come from God and so we came from God, so we are going back to God. This is completely negated. You have not come, you are not here, you are not going back. Tattvamasi Shweta Ketu. That is the point where this is leading. Then the creation point will come now. And before I go into it, I will have to tell you a very important point. So the first point I already mentioned to you, according to Advaita, there is no creation at all. But here, the creation means what? That we are accepting to create anything. For example, the clay cannot say, I want to become a pot. An ornament cannot say, without gold, I want to become a golden ornament. There must be an intelligent agent. This is called nimitta karana. And then there must be a material cause to indicate that Brahman is both the intelligent as well as material cause. The following chapters are leading to that point. So the intelligent cause as well as the material cause, both are Brahman only. That means if we understand that statement, So just like saying, you look at a pot and then you say, what is this pot? It is nothing but as material is clay. And then the pot is nothing but only the clay, whatever be the name. But the point here is, can the clay automatically think that let me become a pot? In our experience, no. Because creation means the split. What is the split? Intelligent cause and material cause, both become totally separated when the creation comes. You see everywhere the same thing. Body is material cause. When man and woman meet and mate, then the intelligent cause is the buddhi, intellect, sankalpa. That is the determination that we want to have some children. And for that, we have to mate. And what is that mating material? Bodies. So the body comes out of the parent's body. But where from the intelligence comes? But this is an example to show, if man and woman do not decide that we want children, mating will not take place and then children will not be born. But with regard to creation, first what does Brahman become? First He manifests in the form of material, upadana karana. Then He manifests in the form of nimitta karana. So the first thing this Upanishad, Chandogya Upanishad, 6th chapter wants to convey to us that God wants to create. And then He had as if He has a desire. And then He says, okay, I want to create. But what is the material? There is no other material. So He Himself is the material. How is it possible? Just like our dream. Who created the dream? My intelligence. And what are all the objects in the dream? My thoughts only. So thoughts and chidabhasa, both combined together, becomes my dream, becomes my waking, also becomes my deep sleep only. Now in three stages, the Srishti takes place. How many stages? Three stages. What takes place? Creation takes place. Creation means, remember, manifestation. And what are the three stages? First, I must become the subtle pancha mahabhutas. We are already familiar with pancha bhutas. That's why this world is called prapancha. Pancha means what? Akasha, vayu, agni, apa, prithvi. So then this is the subtle, sokshma pancha bhutas called tanmatras. But sokshma pancha bhutas cannot become sthola prapancha. For that, these again have to mix up in a peculiar way. It is called panchikaranam. And then they become the gross five elements. What was the first stage? They are God manifesting as the five subtle elements. What is the second stage? God manifesting as the five gross bhutas, elements. And the material is ready. But then what is the material going to do? Suppose you see a house. Nobody is there. What is the point? Nobody, even to say there is a house. And this house is an object where we can shelter ourselves from rain, from heat, from cold, etc. No, there must be some intelligent being is there. So first of all, first stage, creation of subtle elements. Himself manifesting as the subtle elements. Brahman manifesting as the subtle elements. What is the second stage? Brahman manifesting as the gross agents, panchamahabhutas. But then what is necessary without the third stage? What is it? He, in the form of consciousness, here called chidavasa, there cannot be the world at all. Supposing there is no human being, will there be a world? Even if there are mountains, rivers, rocks, etc. Since there is nobody to cognize them, without cognition, remember, an object can never exist. Even if it exists, there must be somebody to cognize it. That is very important. So these are the three stages. Subtle elements and they became the gross elements. And then the consciousness, as it divided itself, entered into each one of them. And it became the first, it is mentioned as three types of jivas. But here I have to caution, in Taittiriya Upanishad is what I have been talking, the five elements. aakashat atmana aakashaha, aakashat vayor, vayor agnihi, agne raapaha, athya prathivi, prathivyam ushadayaha, ushadibhyo annam, annatra samayaha purushaha. Whereas here, only three are mentioned. Agni, aapaha, and then annam, he says. That is the element called fire, element called water, and the element called food. Here food means Bhoomi, this earth. Then what about those upper two, that is space, aakasha and vayu. We have to understand they are there. Only they are not mentioned, but we have presumed they are there. Because the world will not be complete. World will not be, cannot be called prapancha unless there are pancha. But it is not mentioned. This is the peculiarity. So do not question, only three elements are there. So the other Upanishad says five elements, which is correct. Here we have to take, just briefly it is mentioned. Why is it omitted? Because aakasha and vayu, they are implied, but not explicitly mentioned. Oh, maybe the whole world, we can be created without aakasha and vayu. Is it possible? It is impossible. Why? Because if you are listening to my talk, you are alive. How are you alive? Because you are breathing. And what are you breathing? You say air. No, you are breathing brahman in the form of vayu. And where are you sitting? In your homes. Where are you sitting? In space. Because if there were to be no space, will you be sitting? Will you be walking? Even to open your mouth, space is necessary. That is why it is advised to the wives, especially that when you want to buy something, and your husband should not open his mouth. So prepare something very tasty. And when he has stuffed his mouth full of those things, bring up that subject. I am going to buy a beautiful necklace. It only costs one and a half million dollars. And then that fellow may gawk. That is a different issue. But he cannot negate you because his mouth is full. Because there is no space. So we are alive because of space. We are breathing. Even breathing is impossible if there were no space. So aakasha and vayu are taken for granted. If we keep these points in view, three types of raw materials, the subtle three raw materials mentioned here, but as I said, the other two are to be presumed. And then, what then? Then solely through subtle elements. Mind can be made, but external world cannot. What we call external world cannot be created. So for that, gross objects are necessary. And that subtle elements, grossifying themselves, there is a particular name. If there are five elements and they divide and mix in a particular way, that is called panchikarana. Since three elements are mentioned here, it is called trivrata karana. But as I said, we have to presume these two also. Then they become the gross elements. And when these are ready, the bodies, the minds, and the so-called inert things. I will talk about it in the next class. So all these things are possible. But without that chaitanyam, pure consciousness, it is not possible. And so he himself has entered this in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It is called anupravesha. Just as a man constructs a house and enters into the house. So also God has created and entered into them in the form of chidavasa. About which we will talk tomorrow. But very very interesting and fascinating subject. And Swami Vivekananda blesses all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.