Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 47 on 02 November 2024

Full Transcript (Not Corrected)

We are studying the Chandogya Upanishad which belongs to Samaveda and we are in the sixth chapter called SADVIDHYA. SAT means pure existence without any name, form, or qualities. And everything that exists, if we remove from everything names, forms, and qualities, what remains is that easiness, pure existence also called Brahman, also called Paramatma, also called Atma. In our last class, we just completed the 14th section and this 14th section has illustrated what is the Pramana. For the Vedic teachings, it is the Shastra. But Shastra not directly, but in the form of Guru's instructions. What does the Guru do? He is like the mother who is having a baby in her womb. She takes food, she digests the food, and that whatever is suitable for the growing up baby, she feeds automatically to that baby. So also a Guru, for each individual, he digests because he is a realized soul. And then when he instructs the disciple, he will exactly teach or instruct what to do, what not to do in accordance with the disciple's capacity and power of comprehension, etc. This is to illustrate that the Pramana, that Vedic teachings are absolutely Satyam, real, is through Vedic teachings, but as interpreted, as instructed by the once born Guru or Acharya. So Upanishad itself says, only a person duly instructed by a competent Acharya alone realizes the truth and not the others. And that is the reason why Hinduism places so much of importance on the Guru. Of course, as Sri Ramakrishna certifies, Guru is none other than Satchitananda. Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Deva, Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat, Param Brahma, that's my Sri Guruve Namaha. And incidentally, just we have celebrated the Deepavali. Deepavali means a festival of lights. What does light do? It removes the darkness and reveals the objects. That means that which brings knowledge is called light. What does a Guru stand for? Only for that light, Brahma Jnanam. So I'm not going to repeat the entire 14th chapter, but there are very interesting points which we need to discuss of the 14th chapter before we enter into the 15th chapter. I will just read out the first mantra only in the 14th section, not chapter, but 14th section. अविनद्दाक्ष आनेतोः अविनद्दाक्षो पिस्रुष्टः As we know the story, a person has been brought from his native place and herein. Just as an example, called Gandharadesha, called Gandharas. And then he has been brought a long distance away of which he doesn't know anything. And then he is bound, blindfolded, bound, left in a forest. अतिजना means an exceedingly dangerous place where there is no person. That means nobody to help him. So he started crying, shouting, sometimes towards the east, sometimes to the west, sometimes to the north, sometimes to the south. You guess what I am going to tell, I hope. Sometimes looking up because nobody hears. When nobody helps, who is the last to help? Only Bhagawan Narayana can help. And Narayana, He hears and He immediately comes. In what form? In the form of a Guru. So He is a परमाकारुणिक, exceedingly compassionate. Means He need not do. But He does it out of His infinite compassion. So then what does He do? He first of all removes all the bondages and then tells that where from are you coming? From Gandharadesha. This is also symbolic. What does it mean? This person knows. He is not an ordinary person. He is a मुमुक्षु. So he read the scriptures, heard the scriptures, understood intellectually the scriptures and he understood liberation, मोक्ष, इदे परमापुरुशार्ध. And he is like this person in this samsara, helplessly crying, I am bound by all these bonds. And what are those bonds? What is this forest? What is this samsara? What is this ocean? We will very briefly discuss very soon. And then the Guru knows. You want to go to your own home? Okay, I will help you. So he says, you know, I know where is your home because I have been to your home. That means I know what is Brahman, your own home. So you go in this direction, always travel, keep like the magnet, always shows the North Pole, go on looking at the North Pole and go on. And then what you need to do? You first go to the village and there will be somebody. And then you ask that person like this from village to village, you go on and finally you will reach home. That is the beautiful understanding. So then the Upanishad itself certifies this person reaches home and that is why आचारिवान पुरुषो वेदा, only a person who believes in the scriptures but as interpreted so that that would be suitable like a doctor who knows the medicine but the symptoms may appear alike in many people but each person requires a specific type of medication and that is what a doctor acts as an आचारिवान पुरुषो. आचारिवान, the one who is a teacher, he alone knows the truth. Then naturally what about a person without आचारिवान? No, it is impossible, nobody can reach. So that is what Sri Ramakrishna says, if anybody prays to God with deep yearning, intense व्याकुलत, that is why that व्याकुलत is called Yoga. So we know कर्मयोग, भक्तियोग, राजयोग, ग्नानयोग and this व्याकुलत योग is added as an addition to it. So this person who is a teacher, he is possessed of a teacher, that person alone will know the truth and what does it mean? Guru is the प्रमाण. If the disciple gets doubts and definitely he gets doubts and definitely he will get many times, until he reaches the goal, there will be doubt. How do we know that I will come to that point soon? So we say Guru प्रमाण. Naturally we hear scripture is the प्रमाण. How come? Is it not a contradiction? No, because what Guru speaks is only the scripture, शास्र प्रमाणम only. गुरु मुखतः, from the mouth of the Guru. He doesn't give anything which is outside the scripture. But as I mentioned, he will give to every one of the earnest seekers what is absolutely needed, helpful and suited to that particular disciple. Remember, Ramakrishna pulled out Vijayakrishna Goswami from the Brahma fold, not because he wanted to make him his own disciple. In fact, Ramakrishna did not accept Vijayakrishna Goswami as his disciple. On the contrary, he said, your Guru is different. But like a loving friend, he gave all the important help until Vijayakrishna Goswami found his own Guru. So this is शब्द प्रमाणम through the personality of the Guru and it is also called आप्तवाक्यम and so आचार्यवान पुरुषो वेदा. Where was this person left out? In a forest. Remember, Ramakrishna's story of the three robbers. Perhaps that story must have been based upon this. Somebody elaborated this. Why do we say so? What is the justification? Because a Guru is one. At one time, he was Tamasika and Rajasika, but he overcame those things, became 100% Sattvika. Only a Sattvika person can become a Guru. So this Sattvika robber, he unbounds the person, not only that, guides himself until the person is taken out of the forest. What is that forest? That is called संसार. And he shows him his village. Here village means is real home. Real home is मन चलो निजनि केतने. संसार भिदेशे भिदेशेरु वेशे भ्रमो क्यनो आकारने. So that is exactly the meaning. That is the meaning of आचार्यवान पुरुषो वेदा. So what is the summary? The means of self-knowledge. That is reaching our own home, knowing who are we, one's own nature, only through आचार्यवान पुरुषो वेदा. Without Guru, progress is impossible. Every religion tells it. So what is this person doing? Until the Guru comes, he is shouting. What was he shouting? I am left here blindfolded. Anybody, please help me. And he started turning towards all the directions and shouting. We don't know how much time has passed. But by his पुर्वजन्मक्रित पुण्यम, great merit, Bhagavan Shankaracharya says by his पुर्वजन्मक्रित पुण्यकर्म, somebody was passing that way accidentally. No, because he was sent by God Himself. He was untied. Then he gives the instruction. So go in this direction. So your native place, Kandhara, Desha is in this direction. This is called instructions, उपदेशवाक्य. So what should the seeker do? And he should follow without deviating. Keep the direction always in his concentration and navigate his path without losing the direction. So the person has to be a पण्डिता. पण्डिता means one who understands, one who accepts, and one who practices. Such a person alone is called a पण्डिता. So not only पण्डित्य, the capacity to understand, मेधावि, because in the world, both पण्डिता and मेधावि are used in this mantra. पण्डिता means what? He got the general directions. He knows which direction he has to travel. But he must be a मेधावि. What should he do? He should not go to the next village and then stay there. He should ask, find out somebody, I am coming from this place, what is the next step? That is to say, the goal is not reached in one life. So from life to life, from village to village means what? From one stage of spiritual progress to another stage of spiritual progress. Or we can say from one life to the other, he goes on evolving and at every life, in every life, he gets Guru. Who is the Guru? God is the Guru. What is the Guru? Proper instructions. It might come through different bodies, different minds, personalities, but it doesn't matter. He is always same. So one has to be both a पण्डिता and a मेधावि. So this person, without deviation, went on asking every village. That means every stage he reaches, higher stage he reaches or in every janma, he doesn't stop the sadhana and then ultimately he reaches. So that is the meaning of it. What is the symbolism here? This is where I quoted Shankaracharya in my last class. But repetition will not be a fault, a mistake. What is the symbolism? A Jeevatma is a Paramatma who forgot that he is the Paramatma. We are all Jeevatmas, including a mosquito. Even a mosquito is seeking directions. How can I live? How can I learn? From birth to birth, it evolves. This is called creative evolution. But we are all in a forest. So Shankaracharya says, what is the forest? Samsara. So who brought you here into this Samsara? Kidnappers. Who are the kidnappers? Trigunas, three robbers. And what do they do? They create what is called Samskara, good and bad Samskara. First Asuri, then Daivi, then a mixture of both. Then slowly, Daivi Sampath will overtake the Asuri Sampath. So Shankara says, Swayam Krita Punya and Apunya. In following the scriptures, one leads a dharmic life, avoids a dharmic life, earns Punya and reduces Papa. So he says, this Sthola Sareeram, Sokshma Sareeram, Karana Sareeram and this Anatma, that is the forest. And if we remember, Andukya Upanishad, in this Anatma, there are three stages. Through Sthola Sareeram, the Jagrat Prapancham. Through the Sokshma Sareeram, what is called Swapna Avastha. And through the Karana Sareeram, the causal body, the Sushupta Avastha. And all these three Avasthas are relatively called Samsara or forest here. So all these three bodies put together in the forest. So He was left out here. That is, we don't know why God created us. But when we open our eyes, we find we are in this forest of three Gunas, Punya and Papa, Sukha and Dukha and all Vanvas. So this body is constituted, this whole world is constituted of what? Three elements, Adhyatma, Adhibhautika, Adhidaivika. All these are made up of what? The elements called Agni, Jalam and Prithvi. And what is the nature of this forest? Full of Sapta Dhatus, air, bile, phlegm, blood, fat, flesh, bone, marrow, semen, worms, urine, stool. This is the body, this is the Anatma, this is the forest. And we are so much attached to this forest. And this Jivatma is subject to various miseries. In this forest of Samsara, me, the Jivatma, is subject to various miseries called Tapatraya. Such as heat and cold, Sita Vashna, Sukha Dukha, Janma Mrityu and Mitra and Shetru, Mana and Apamana, etc. And our eyes are bound with the cloth of Maya called delusion, Avidya. That is why the first chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is aptly titled as Vishada Yoga. Vishada is the outcome of only Moha. How do we know? Because Bhagavan Himself says that if you have understood my Upadesham, then you should have gotten rid of your delusion. Arjuna categorically says, Nasto Mohaha. So then this Jiva being tied with many thirsts. Very many thirsts. Thirst means what? Tanha. Bhagavan Buddha calls it. Tanha means Trishna. For what? For various scenes, Drishya and Adrishya. So, Trishna Sangha Samudbhavam. All those desires are coming out of this Tanha. Trishna born for many things. What are those things? Wife, husband, children, friends, animals, kinsmen and then this Loka, that Loka, etc. And in this Samsara, the Jiva is enmeshed. So, he shouts. What does he shout? Like that person shouting in the forest. I am a son of so and so. These are my friends. I am happy. I am miserable. I am deluded. I am wise. This fellow in the Samsara says, I am wise. He doesn't know that he is otherwise. I am virtuous. I have friends. I am born. I am going to die. I am emaciated. I am a sinner. I am a virtuous person. My son had died. My wealth is lost. How shall I live? What will be my lot? What relief is there for me? In this Samsara, all of us are crying. So, the speakers are crying and the listeners are also crying. And then, this person is gradually evolving. He earns some Punyam. And because of that, he comes across a kind person. Because at the right time, the seed will come. And he is a knower of Brahman. The Guru is not only a knower of Brahman. He doesn't have any motive. He is not only that, he is a Shrotriya. Shrotriya means not only a person who realized God, but who is capable of expounding the scripture as it should be. What does he tell you? First of all, he releases this person. He opens his eyes. To what? To the wisdom. And he will tell you. You are not a sinner. You are not a Samsari. You do not belong to this world. You are not a Jeeva. Then, You are that. And then, here, the story. We will take the help. This person is instructed by the Karunika person, compassionate person. And then, slowly moves in the direction indicated and from village to village. That is, progressing from a lower state to a higher state. All the Upanishads speak with one voice. The same truth. We have seen, I am Atma Brahma. I hope you remember, very second mantra, the first chapter of the Mandukya. Mandukya Upanishad doesn't have many chapters. Only one chapter. The other three chapters are Gaudapada's Kharikas. So, the three Upanishads, we are going to get this in the third chapter, called Bhrigavalli. Bhrigavalli, exactly like Shweta Ketu, approaches his own father. But in this case, he was a knower of Brahman. Please teach me Brahman. We don't know the background. Here, we know a little bit of background. And then, what does the father say? I cannot tell you about Brahman, because Brahman is not an object that can be pointed out, that can be described. But I will show you the general direction. But you will have to, yourself, understand, realize. So, it says, from where the entire creation has come, and because of whom the creation is sustained, and unto whom the creation again goes back, because every effect must go back to its cause. So, you will have to realize that is Brahman, which you are seeking. But how to realize that? Tapasa brahma vijnana sasva. Realize Brahman through Tapasya. What is this Tapasya? Deep meditation. Meditation is equated to Tapasya. That is the greatest Tapasya. If you have tremendous ability of meditation, you are the greatest Tapasvi. But if you do all sorts of physical deprivations, but very restless, not able to concentrate, not able to understand, then you are not a Tapasvi. You are somebody else. So, what did Bhrigu do? First, he meditated, and then realized that the body is Atma. For some time, Annam brahmeti vijnana. Exactly, we are saying the same thing. This body is nothing but the manifestation of the element called Annam or Prithvi. So, the body is Atma. Annamaya kosha. Aham Annam. And then, he got doubt. Again, he came for instruction. Then, father repeats exactly the same thing. Ditto. Then, he goes and meditates. Then, Prana becomes the Atma. I am the Prana. To say I am the body is I am the Atman, Now, Prana is my Atma. Later on, Mind is the Atma. Then, Vijnanam is my Atma. And then, Annamaya kosha is the Atman. And then, what does he say? I quoted in my last class. You should remember that one. etam vijnanamaya matmanam upasankramya etam anandamaya matmanam upasankramya Even Anandamaya is a kosha. So, transcended. After that, he did not return to his father or his Guru. Same thing exactly. Because he reached Brahma, same thing this person, from village to village, slowly, I am approaching Gandhar Desha. And then, I am approaching even nearer. I am approaching even nearer. So, it may be many lives, as I said just now. So, ultimately, it transcends everything. Here also, same. From village to village, this man rediscovers his last path and he reaches his destination. Here, Gandhar Desha, as I said, is one's own abode. Brahman. That's the traveller. And we are all Yatrikas only. There is a beautiful Kannada song composed by Kuvempu, a great Kannada poet. We are all travellers, Yatrikas. In Sufi literature, we get, every time we are born, that is a Dharmashala. Whether his parents' house, or our own house, or hotel, like hotel. That is where we are here to conduct the business only for a short time. And that is called Dharmashala. So, ultimately, he reaches this Shweta Ketu. He reaches pure existence, Sat. That means he attains liberation. Sat Sampadhyate. That is called also Nirvana, Brahma Nirvana. So, this is the essence of the 14th section of the 6th chapter. But, Shweta Ketu did not fully understand. So, he requests, Sir, I have not understood fully. Please explain it to me. So, how far? So, we have completed 14 sections. This Sat cannot be known without the guidance of a teacher. But, it takes also time. With this background, every time from the 8th section onwards until the 16th. Remember, there are 16 sections in the 6th chapter. From 8th to 16th, that is 9 times, there is Lingam. Shad Linga, Tat Pariya. That is 6 Lingas about which we discussed in our introduction. Upakrama, Upasamsara, Upasamahara, Tat Pariya, Abhyasa, Fala, etc. So, this is a beautiful model chapter for that. So, this is the essence of the 14th. That is, without a teacher, without having faith in the teacher, and without doing Tapasya or deep meditation, one cannot reach Brahman. Here, in this case, Sat, which is called pure existence. Now, some more examples will come. That is, in this, one example is going to come, 15th section. And then 16th, another example will come to make the teaching very clear to Shweta Ketu. Now, we are going to enter into the 15th section. This also has got 3 mantras. So, in this 15th section, the teacher describes what happens when a person dies, when Videha Mukti can take place. In a sense, I will give you a brief introduction to this 15th. Now, in these 3 mantras, 2 mantras describe the condition of a dying person. A person, imagine, he is dying. What happens? Everybody comes to know, soon he is going to die. So, all the friends, relatives, family members gather around him and then go on telling, Do you know me? Do you know me? And then what happens? He is a little bit conscious. He has got energy. He can speak. His mind, his prana is functioning. His mind also is functioning. So, what does he do? I know you. I know you. And as I described in the last class, I have practically seen this happen in not 1 case, but at least 2 cases, here itself, in the Varanasi hospital. Now, this person goes on replying, until when? He is unable to speak. Even though he is unable to speak, but his mind, he is able to hear and he is able to think also, but his, what is called that Vagindriya, organ of speech, has stopped functioning. Sometimes, we can see, he is staring at us, but that also, eyes will close slowly and that also I have seen. So, the teacher is describing what happens. Until the speech is functioning, he says, Yes, I know you. Yes, I know you. Voice is becoming feeble and then he cannot speak, but he is quite aware of it. But even that mind also, that is, the speech merges in the mind or the mind merges in prana, that is, mind also stops functioning, but prana is still there. How do we know? Because you feel the person, he is not conscious, but his body is emanating some heat and it emanates not only while alive, but a short time. They say for 4 or 5 or 6 years, 6 hours after death also, slowly it attains what is called coldness and that is the way. Doctors, of course, they know when the heart stops, lungs stop, etc. They know this person is gone, but the body still will be warm. So, this is the process prescribed and this is prescribed in a beautiful way of what is called how slowly the prana merges in the Agni Tattva. So, speech here belongs to the Anna Tattva, body, one organ of the body and that fails, but mind works. Mind also fails, but prana is there and as long as prana is there, the body will be warm and then when the prana also departs, then where does it go? To Tejas, its source. The effect merges in the Karana, in its cause and what happens to the Tejas or Agni or Fayath, it merges in its source which is Paramatma. This is called merging in the being. So, this merging process will happen. That is described in the first two mantras of this particular 15th section. Now, the point we have to understand, this is the important point because the description of death is not important. What happens after the mergence? So, merging into Brahman takes place. That is what the Upanishad tells. Whether an ignorant person dies, whether a mosquito dies, whether a saint dies, all of them enter into that merging state and this merging state is divided into four different types of merging and we also know that this is called Laya. One is called Nitya. Laya or Pralaya. Nitya Pralaya. That is, everyday in Sushupti, everybody merges. For that, an example is given. Whether it is a tiger, whether it is a lion or whether it is a mosquito or a bird or a flying insect or an ant, everything, there is no difference between a Brahmagnani or an ordinary person or a friend, an enemy. In Sushupti, we all merge into Brahman. Here, Brahman means what? That is the point we understand. Naturally, when this statement is heard, everybody merges after death into that being. Being called Sattva. Then what is the difference, first of all, between the person who knows, that is Gnani, a knowledgeable person, that is, I am Brahman, Agnani, or an unwise person, ignorant person, who thinks I am the body and mind. Is there any difference? So, first of all, four points I want to make clear. What are these four types of mergers? One is called Sushupti. Another is called after death. It is said after death, for some time, before the Jiva takes, the Agnani Jiva takes a new body, he will be in a state of limbo, and that is one type of merger. Then Brahma himself gets tired after 1000 yugas. He goes to sleep for 1000 yugas. And so, these are the three. But there is something called Atyantika Pralaya, the final merging. Only Agnani will merge in it. So now the question that comes is four types of layas, and they look the same, then what is the difference? Will the ignorant person also attain Brahman and come back? So what is this peculiar something called merger? I want to make that point clear. It is called Layam. And what does it mean? So we have, as we know, by this time we should know very well that we all experience three types of experiences. Waking, dream. In waking, body works, mind works, Karana Sharira also works. In deep, what is called Swapna Sharira, Swapna Avastha, or dream state, only two work. Physical body, it is there in the form of Prana, but it is not actively participating, only in the form of thought. That is called dream. In that, mind works, and causal body also works. But in the third state called Sushukti, only causal body works. Now what is the point? The point is, both in the waking state and dream state, duality is there. I am this, and everything is else, something else. So both in waking as well as in dream, there is duality. Dwaita exists. But whether a person is Dwaitin or Visishta Dwaitin or a Dwaitin, when all the three people imagine, and then their friends are in one room, they had nice dinner, and then they lie down, all of them enter into the Sushukti state, where is the Dwaitam there? Where is the Visishta Dwaitam there? There is only Dwaitam. What is it? Because the mind is not there. If the mind is not functioning, Dwaitam is not functioning. Because mind and Dwaitam are exactly the same. That is why mind is called Dwaitam, duality, in the form of three. Time, separation, then Desha, that is space separation and object separation. Desha, Kaala, Nimitta. Three Vedas are there, differentiation. But in Sushukti, mind doesn't work, it enters into its causal state where not only he is free from his own waking and dream, he is free from everybody's, there is no everybody there, because the whole world will disappear along with the emergence of the mind and that is called Dwaitam state. And then, where is he, this person, in Sushukti? He is in pure existence. What does it mean? It means pure existence are called Sat, in this Upanishad, in this chapter, in the form of Nama Rupa. Just a simple illustration. So here is a tree. So Sat plus the form of the tree, the name is a mango tree and it yields very sweet mangoes in the quality all the three will not be there in this Sushukti Avastha. That is the Sat, just like a pot, if you remove the form, the name and the purpose for which it is created, what remains? Only clay. Remove Nama Rupa from the gold, from the ornament, only gold remains. The Sat alone remains. So long as we are in the Sushukti, there is no difference. I am an Agnani. I am an ignorant person. I am a knowledgeable person. Even this distinction will completely disappear and then we are one with the pure existence. Pure existence means there is no Nama, Rupa, Una, which means I am the Atman, which means I am the Brahman. This is what happens. Temporary, what is called in all the three states of Nitya Pralaya, Prakruti Pralaya, Brahma Pralaya. Only it doesn't happen in Atyantika Pralaya. Now the question that comes is, if we are all merging in Brahman, then there is no need for sadhana and some people must be very great. All that you need to do is go into Sushukti and you are an enlightened person. The scripture clearly says, earlier it said Yagra, when it goes into Sushukti, it is one with Sat. But after some time that Karana Sharira is there. It is called Karana Sharira. That Karana is there. Cause is there. It acts like a rope. It pulls the tiger into the knowledge, I am the tiger in waking and dream. It pulls a man, a Jnani, I am the man, I am a woman, etc. It cannot pull because this person merged his Karana into Brahman and then there is no question. So one is natural, another is through sadhana. And when a person does sadhana, he acquires that power to remove the Karana. A person who cannot do, doesn't do sadhana, he cannot remove the Karana. This is the difference and that is the doubt that can come if everybody is merging in that being only, Sat being only, then how do they come out or why should they come out? The answer is Purva Janmasamskaras or there are hooks and ropes are tied to that hook, even in that being it will come out. That is why mosquito wakes up as mosquito, tiger as tiger, a lion as a lion, a ignorant person as ignorant person, a wicked person as a wicked person, a virtuous person as a virtuous person, until he attains the fourth mergence which is called Atyantika Pralaya, when he knows I am Brahman by the grace of the Lord. So this is what earlier chapter if you recollect, even if a person has reached the village nearest to his Gandhar Desha, still he is bound because still he has not reached. That is why even if a person in Tantric language reached the Ajna Chakra, he is not free. He must become one with the Sahasrara Chakra, then only he becomes free. That is the understanding we have to get it. So with this introduction that just because of death or what is called a daily death or at the end of our living death or Brahma Pralaya, one has to come back again and again and that is called beginning of the Srishti after Brahma Pralaya. Beginning of Srishti after we attain to in Punar Janma, rebirth with a new body. As if we do not remember the past births. Although we are just born, these are my parents and these are my brothers and sisters, etc. Until ignorance is completely destroyed, the rebirth is inevitable. That is what we have to understand. With this background again just to summarize, death is the same both for a knowledgeable person and for an ignorant person. The doubt comes then. Everybody merges in that pure being only, Sat only. Then what is the difference? The difference is the knowledgeable person, he doesn't return and everybody else has to return. This is the essence. We will discuss it a little bit further. वाँ मनसे संपद्यते मनः प्राणे प्राणस तेजसी तेजः परस्याम देवतायः तावत जानाती So around a dying, a person who is about to die, afflicted with illness, so my dear Shweta Ketu, his family members and relatives gather and ask Do you recognize me? Do you recognize me? He can recognize them. He can tell you are so and so as long as his speech is not merged in his mind. That is as long as the speech is working and his mind is not in his prana. He knows but cannot express and his prana is there, the heat will be there, the mind may not be functioning but life is still there and at the end even that prana merges in the what is called Agni Tattvam and that Agni Tattvam finally merges in the pure being. So this is what we have to understand. अथा यदा अस्यवां मनसे संपध्यते मना प्राने प्राना देजसे देजः परस्याम देवतायः अथा न जानाती When his speech is merged in the mind, the mind in prana, prana in fire and fire in the supreme deity, then he cannot know them. This is the process, description of the process gradually giving up this body and it is same giving up the body for both the knower of Brahman and the ignorant of Brahman also. So we have to take special note some people may get a doubt that walk here means this is one of the part of the body only. So अन्नमय, the body is nothing but अन्नमय. Part of this अन्नमय, sense organ is called walk and other organs also. So what is the function of the walk? Speaking. And the speaking he can speak because his mind is functioning. He is aware of every surrounding. He is also aware probably I am approaching my death etc. He may struggle I don't want to die but it is inevitable but he speaks here and the relatives start asking Do you know me? Do you know me? Do you recognize me? Do you recognize so and so? This is your grandson Do you recognize so and so? Yes, yes, yes my darling grandson, granddaughter he recognizes but slowly he is sinking. His walk merges in the mind that means the mind is not any longer activating the speech then he knows inside his mind probably he can hear also but he cannot reply वाख मनस समपद्यते until that time he can speak but when the mind merges in प्राण, that is अन्नमय, mind remember is the product of अन्नमय अन्नमयं मनः, earlier we have studied it and then this mind what happens it is an effect so it merges in its cause which is called प्राण and then mind also stops functioning and then for some time प्राण will be there how do we know? Because वाम्त will be there प्राणः तेजसि sometimes we can even this sign of the प्राण being there is slowly breathing and I have seen that one also there is a machine, slowly breathing is becoming the gap between each breathing, longer and longer, finally there is no breathing is there Swami Vivekananda, he was also being witnessed by somebody he took a deep breath and after some time the attendant felt frightened, he must have given but again he breathed out again he breathed in again he breathed out, again he breathed in, after that there is no breathing out then he understood something happened here similarly प्राण becomes merged in तेजस, that means the real death has come, now what does the तेजस do? that is the cause of अन्नम् is प्राण and the cause of प्राण is तेजस or अगनी element called fire and this fire also is an effect, it came from आत्मन in this Chandogya but we have to understand it merges in the वायू or Air Air merges in आकाश, Akasha merges in आत्मन so तेजः परस्याम देवताय which is pure existence called otherwise सत् or आत्मन or ब्रह्मन so this is the process of death then he will not know then as I mentioned here the man with knowledge has no rebirth whereas the man without knowledge is born again in accordance with the results of his action the knower doesn't go along the path of the Sun and other deities the knower of ब्रह्मन doesn't go through the शुक्ल and कृष्ण पक्षा he is liberated long before perhaps even when the ब्रह्मन knowledge comes he is liberated but he seems to be there even when he is in this body because sometimes the body losts because of प्रारद्धा कर्म so as long as the mind is not merged into प्राण so then when the mind is merged into प्राण he will be there he will cry he will know that you are talking but he can't respond but when the प्राण is merging into तेजः then his what happens even breathing also stops but remains a little bit warm body for a few hours only heat then what happens that is the real point here not the point of death that even a doctor can describe the process of death but here a knower of ब्रह्मन what happens long before he was liberated it is not that this body is holding up his liberation that is why he is called जिवनमुक्ता but this विदेह मुक्ति means that because we think that जिवनमुक्ता is जिवनमुक्ता a जिवनमुक्ता is both a जिवनमुक्ता and a विदेह मुक्ता but because of our ignorance प्रारद्धा कर्म we attribute and we think that because of the body has to live as long as प्रारद्धा because of our previous जनमाs कर्म throws out this body so he is bound he is not bound he has been liberated but we judge him because of his actions as expressed through that particular personality that would be wrong on our part then there is no rebirth for a ब्रह्मण, ब्रह्मग्नानि because long before he is liberated this body has nothing to do with him, whether it is alive or dead has nothing to do with him that is the point we have to note down so what is the point even this concept that he is a जिवनमुक्ता is only from the viewpoint of a deluded person, bound person, ignorant person not from the viewpoint of a liberated person and this 15th is concluded that being which is the subtle essence even that all this world has for itself, the whole world and that is the आत्मन of everything असत्यम, that alone is the truth everything else, body, mind everything else is असत्यम so आत्म and that final thing is आत्म that आत्म is called ब्रह्म this is the 14th time 8th time this is being said here one more time we will see in the next class so the point here we have to understand this I am going to translate in briefly that that सत् is the subtle essence of this entire world when this world is removed of its names and forms, that is called pure सत्, that is called आत्म and the whole universe is nothing but that pure being with names and forms that alone is the truth and that truth सत् is called आत्म and you are that I am that, everybody is that the difference is the knower knows, the ignorant person doesn't know, a few more details talk in our next class May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti Hey Ramakrishna