Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 62 on 22 December 2024

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGADGURUM PADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHU OM APYAYANTUM AMANGANIVAKPRANASYAKSHUH SHROTRAM ATHO BALAMINDRIYANICHA SARVANI SARVAM BRAHMAHU PANISHADAM MAHAM BRAHMANIRAKURIYAM MAMA BRAHMANIRAKARO ANIRAKARANAM ASTVANIRAKARANAM ME ASTU TADATMANI NIRATE YAUPANISHAD SU DHARMA TE MAI SANTU TE MAI SANTU OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI HA RE HE OM OM May my limbs, speech, vital force, eyes, ears, as also strength, and all the organs become well developed. Everything is the Brahman revealed in the Upanishads. May I not deny Brahman. May not Brahman deny me. Let there be no spurning of me by Brahman. Let there be no rejection of Brahman by me. May all the virtues that are spoken of in the Upanishads repose in me. I am engaged in the pursuit of the Self. May they repose in me. OM PEACE PEACE PEACE BE UNTO ALL We are studying the seventh chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad which is called Bhumananda or Brahmananda, Atmananda, Poornananda, Infinite Bliss. In our last class, we started the tenth khandar section known as Aapabrahma Upasana which was preceded by everything depends upon food. So if we have to meditate, we require knowledge, Ignanam. And if we have to get right knowledge, then we require strength, Balam. And if we want to have Balam, we must have Annam. Here, there is a special point we have to note down. Right beginning from the Nama until this point of Balam, there are all the modifications of the five elements, five basic elements called Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Apaha and Prithvi. So when it comes to how do we get strength, then immediately what is the cause of the strength? Balam. Both physical, intellectual, aesthetic, moral and spiritual strength. What do we need? Even at the lowest level of where most people are living, we require tremendous strength. We are all enslaved, ruled over by people who are strong. But it doesn't mean they are good people. Mostly, it is completely self-centered, selfish and they have no conscience how they can suffer. Simple example, we have to connect whatever we are studying in the Upanishads, you look at the world and see what is happening. These so-called politicians, they do not care for any one of us. Their only goal is how to keep their position, retain their power, their position and they live in luxurious homes. Look at the history of anybody. Even if somebody had to flee from their country because there is a revolution, there is a conflict and they will take the money robbed from their very country and then go and settle and enjoy. These are the people. And how much money we are spending on these war efforts which brings nothing but pure suffering. Had they been spending at least a fraction of that money for the welfare of people, education, health, public facilities, research work, etc., this world itself would have been transformed into heaven. But alas, no, they are not doing it. What is my point? My point is that strength, they have the balam and we are not having that balam. So the Upanishad is telling, Atma, that means our happiness, our existence. Sat means, let us interpret in this connection as pure existence, our livelihood and our intellects. They are what is called kidnapped by these so-called algorithms now. At least we are fortunate. But the future generations would not know what is reality and what is artificiality, whatever they call the, what is called assumed, imagined reality through 3D glasses, special glasses, etc., etc. And anything can be manufactured. That means we are cutting ourselves off from nature and that is the greatest loss a few people are realizing. But do you know what? They are completely helpless. It is the people. Somehow it may be strength of knowledge, strength of political power or strength of power and position. They are ruling the whole world as we know it. Our earth is ruled not by the respective presidents and prime ministers but those who are lording it over and mostly these people are those who have got knowledge at their fingertips. It is the people who have the information, knowledge that will be ruling. And this astonishing fact was pointed out long, many, many years back. I read a book. It is called The Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. And it is coming and nobody knows what is going to happen in the future. But my point is only we must be. If we are strong, we can escape. What is spirituality? To become very strong physically, intellectually, aesthetically, morally and of course spiritually. Spirituality includes every form of strength. That is why the Upanishads emphasize so much. One not to speak of the God realization. Even dog realization also will not happen without strength. Otherwise what do I mean? So you think you are taking the dog for a walk. Not understanding. Everybody is looking. A dog is pulling this fellow for a walk. So anyway. So from the last section, what is that? Annam. Annam means anything that strengthens us physically, mentally, aesthetically etc. And here is a very interesting fact. Suppose somebody wants to write poetry or they want to write some book or they want to speak. And do you know who will be the greatest writers, poets or speakers? They must have undergone tremendous amount of suffering. Suffering develops feeling. And only when this feeling is expressible in the form of either poetry or writing or whatever it is, then only it is possible for people to express. If the feeling is lacking, it is like as Jesus says, food is without salt. A saltless food. That means tasteless. Temporarily it may tickle our nerves but it will not have a lasting effect. So in this connection, a great writer had written beautifully. You look at all the long lasting works, whether it is Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavatam, Puranas or Shakespeare, anything that is lasting longer, there must be an element of spirituality. Spirituality means strength. Strength means they must have undergone through direct experience a lot of suffering, which is called weakness. And then they have overcome somehow. And then they have discovered the secret. Through Balam, we can overcome any amount of suffering. And that is called practical spirituality, practical Vedanta. So what we also have to note down, very interesting point here, starting with the last section, that is annam, brahmeti, upasita, upasva, Sanat Kumara tells. Annam means food. Food means anything that sustains, that strengthens physically, mentally, etc. as I just now said. But in the broader sense, in the universal sense, annam means whatever creatures are there, all of us, living, non-living, they are all the manifestations of prithvi. This is the important point, very important point. We are not the outcomes of prithvi, like pots are the outcome of the action of a potter. We are like the manifestations of the clay. We are all nothing but clay or bhoomi. But here bhoomi is not clay. Bhoomi is the grossest manifestation of atma. So in the Taittiriya, we are going to get crystal clear explanation. The atman, brahman, desired, may I become many or may I play with myself, just as we play in our dream. And then he manifested, grossified. Any change from the atman is called grossification. But what we call grossification is extraordinarily subtle from our viewpoint. So then akasha, when further came down a little bit, became manifested as air or vayu. Vayu came down a little bit more and became experienceable through our eyes. Rupa starts only. That is why fire, water and earth are called murtas and vayu and akasha are called amurtas. Amurta means invisible to the eye, but experienceable through the sense organ of touch and sense organ of hearing. So like that, our earth of which we are the manifestations of atman only, five steps down and we are all nothing but atman. And if we can meditate, find out the root cause of everything in this universe is that particular element called bhoomi or prithvi, which is here called annam. So annam brahmeti upasva unarada. And then gradually he is leading from the grossest to the causeless original cause. Causeless means brahman, we think from our viewpoint of you, is the cause of all these five elements. But when we reach there, he is called in Vedanta causeless cause. So he appears to be the cause, but he cannot be the cause according to advaita and he is the cause according to dualistic philosophies, which we will not go into that what is called controversial points. But what is needed is we are potentially divine. So what is the first manifestation of this divinity? To divinize this earth and whatever we do, our body is divine, our mind is divine, our aesthetic sense is divine, our what we call moral life is divine. So these are all higher aspects of divinity and the higher aspect, higher step includes the lower step also. So that means akasha includes all the other four elements. That means spirituality includes all the elements. That is why Swami Vaikunanda says expansion is life and his upasana is expanding ourselves and reaching the ultimate cause. So unarada, everything is the manifestation of annam. Only using that from annam we get strength, from strength we are able to understand things properly, when we understand we are able to meditate properly, when we remember things we are able to meditate, when we are developing willpower we are able to lead a higher life and whatever we remember and we determine is expressed in the form of walk or speech and that comes out as the entire earth again. But here Sanat Kumara is leading and this is called spiritual progress. What is it? Leave the lower step and identify with the higher step. When once we identify with the immediate higher step, then the lower step becomes anatma. Anatma doesn't mean non-existence. Anatma means that is the same earth is looked upon in a much higher light because the higher we go up we are nearer to the light of the atma. In this way we have to understand all the sections. In this background Narada must have identified himself with the whole earth and then he says now you take me to the next step. That is the whole annam is the effect. Therefore every effect without exception must have a cause, karana. What is the karana? Because effect cannot be even existing without the cause. If there were to be no milk there would be no products like yogurt or curds etc. So is there something higher? Higher means subtler, subtler means superior, superior means more pervasive is there. Surely there is one because Sanat Kumara was a person who knows he was like a person who had climbed to the Mount Everest not once but several times and therefore he knows what is the right way and how to lead. He becomes a guide like a mountaineer guide. He becomes a guide for all not only spiritual seekers. Remember a spiritual person can be a guide not only for spiritual life, not only for religious life, even for the material life. I'll just give an example. So if a materialist, pure materialist who says I don't believe that there is anything else other than this life, this earth and enjoyment is my Laksha then he approaches a Guru. Why does he approach? Because he finds that there is some lacuna, lack in his philosophy. Even the multi billionaire will also have to go through headache. If there is a head there will be headache. If there is tooth there will be toothache. If there is a stomach, stomachache. If there are knees then he will have to suffer from romantic problems. There is no escape from this. Then he will approach how can I be a materialist, enjoy this world without the consequences. Then the Rishi says yes you can do that and this is what Hinduism tells. This is called Swarga Loka. What is Swarga Loka? Temporarily you don't pay in the form of suffering but if you do Tapasya, Tapasya is nothing but suffering and then you will enjoy it. So instead of continuously suffering so you pay once for all and then you go to Swarga Loka and then come back again, again do the same thing. So there is a way one can be happier but we have to pay the price and that is what a spiritual person tells. If we want to enjoy this world then only a strong person can really enjoy this world, become strong and how can a person become strong, a materialist? You lead a Dharmic life because this law of Karma is inevitable. Nobody can escape it and it yields exactly. That is why in the Bhagavad Gita the very first shloka starts Dharmakshetre Kurukshetre. Extraordinarily significant words. The whole life is like Dharmakshetra. What does it mean? Kshetra means field. Dharmakshetra means whatever you sow that alone you reap. As the English saying goes so you reap what you sow. So this field is an opportunity for us to cultivate. Don't cultivate, you will not reap anything. Cultivate weeds and you will reap the more weeds. Cultivate only Dharma then you will reap. That is why it is followed Dharma can be achieved not by talking, not by thinking, not by meditating but by acting upon it. Therefore this Kshetra which is common to both Dharma and Kuru is called Kuru. You must put into action, Karmapala will come. So will there be no unhappiness at all? Yes, even if you go to heaven there will be suffering. What is the suffering in the heaven? The continuous fear. When is the last date coming? Just like you book yourself in a very good hotel, 7 star hotel but every day gone is oh already one day gone. Last day comes so tomorrow I have to early morning I have to quit. I have to keep all my bag and baggage because my plane is in the evening and if I stay, if I don't quit this hotel at 7 o'clock I will have to pay for the whole day. So I will go to the Swami, put all the luggage in his room and roam about, eat in the ashram and catch my plane. So there is a way even if we want to become materially happy spirituality is the only way. So that is why every religion is called Dharma. Anyway Sanath Kumara is guiding and Narada had identified himself with the Prithvi and then he said now I am capable of taking the next step. Please lead me to it. This is where the 10th section will come. So in answer to the question of Narada he says water, here water, remember water means the Jala Tattva, Aapaha Tattva is superior to Prithvi Tattva or what is called Bhu Tattva. So Anad Bhuyaha, Bhuyasaha is another word, it is a better word than Bhuyaha. Now some books write Bhuyasaha, Anad Bhuyasaha and some books we get only Bhuyaha but this word seems to be a better word. So yesterday we discussed anything that is solid is the outcome of the liquid. So this whole earth how it is solid that's why you say solid earth, solid rock, solid chair, solid house, solid anything. So anything as material it must have come out only from a liquid state. So the liquid was once upon a time in a hot gaseous condition which is called Tejaha, we will come back to that later on. So there are subtler and subtler causes and all of them end with Atman or Brahman. So O Narada, this thing that we have discussed about which is called food, it is superior to everything that I have mentioned up to this time. But this Annam is the element of matter, everything that is matter. Our physical bodies are also matter and our subtle minds are also matter only. What is matter? So long as we do not think it is the divine, it becomes matter. What does it mean? It means it is separate from me. My body is separate from me, my mind is also separate from me. But superior to it is the water principle. So originally it was all water and we have yesterday quoted from the Nasadiya Sukta, the whole universe before creation was filled with water only and I also mentioned the Noah's Ark. So life would become impossible without liquid principle. So it is also said if a person does not have food, then he will live several days. But if he does not have water, he will die very soon. And if he does not have Vayu, which is ultimately the higher cause, we have skipped what is called Agni, then we go to the Vayu Tattva. So only a few seconds a person can survive without the capacity to have Prana Vayu or Oxygen. But with water a person can live. That is why we have seen in the sixth chapter. So this Aruna, he told Svetaketu that you fast for 15 days but drink water because water keeps up the Prana. So here also the example is given earlier, 10 days you don't eat food but you must drink water, you will be alive. But it is useless. You are just like living dead, that's all. Nothing comes to your use. So the coordination between the liquid and the solid as what? As the effect and as the cause. Therefore necessary to produce that element called food. And that is why we are all tremendously we get elated. Suppose summer is very very hot and then one day it is exceedingly hot. So it is hot, it is very very hot and it is going to rain. This is the expression we are going to see in this particular section. But people say so the heat precedes the water which is the cause of the water. But without water, water only when it becomes more grossified, more solidified becomes this earthly element otherwise called the Vyahruti called Bhohu. So the Bhuvaha includes all these elements. Suvaha means Akasha. This is how we can coordinate these five elements. So every being lives only with food and water. There is no creature which we know of which will live only with food but not with water. Now this is evidently a higher form of meditation which is called meditation on the cause of this earth. So in this particular 10th chapter, this is called meditation on Jala or Apaha Tattvam, the second of the five elements. Even Apa means we have to include the rivers, the sea, the oceans, the water that we see in the world but even the blood that is within our body as everything has to be considered as manifestation of this water only. So like this Sanat Kumara is gradually leading Narada from the grossest Prithvi level, the earth level to the highest Akasha which contains all the what is called within itself all the four elements but to identify ourselves we have to rise up. In a way of speaking this is how another model of understanding what we are. One is the model of what is called three states of consciousness, the waking, the dream and the deep sleep but another way is called Panchakosha Dhyana. This way we will see in the second and third especially third chapter of the Taittiriya Upanishad which is called Bhriguvali but the essence is the same. Take a person from where he is, lead him, convince him. This is only an effect but you will be much better off if you can identify yourself with the cause like that. Swami once funnily gave an example. Suppose there is a landlord that means a rich landlord and he has employed a clerk and he is giving very good salary but he gets some money but then if he wants to the owner of the land then somehow you identify with the cause. What is the cause? Marry the daughter of the landlord and then he becomes a family member and then there is a likelihood that even if he is not working, even if he is misworking, he has to be forgiven, there is no other way. So with this background we are going to meditate. Actually we have to meditate to understand these sections. So in answer to Narada's question, yes there is something and this is how Sanat Kumara starts. Once we understand the background then as I said it is just running through, very easy to understand and especially he repeats the same thing what we have seen in the beginning. This earth, then the middle earth, middle Loka, then the Suvar Loka, Bhuv Loka, Bhuvar Loka, Suvar Loka, the mountains and the Devas, the Manushyas that is every blessed thing in this creation especially enumerated in the Taittiriya Upanishad and also in this Upanishad. So here it goes So O Narada, superior to Anna. Anna means remember the fifth lowest element, crossest element called the Prithvi or here it is called Annam. We have come across this word also earlier in this very sixth chapter. It is much superior, that means much subtler, much all-pervading and it is the cause. A cause is always superior to the effect. This point we have to keep in mind. So then he is describing what happens, how is it. Water surely is greater than food. This is called Sutrabhagya, that is briefly stating what the Guru wants, what the teacher wants to explain. This is a beautiful concept in writing that every good writer first he will tell you. This is the point and this is what I am going to elaborate. For example, what is called biologist, he wants to or physicist wants to explain H2O. So two molecules of hydrogen, one molecule of oxygen. When it is mixed together, then what happens? It is called water. It becomes water. Now I am going to describe how this is going to happen. Every good writer, it is called Sutrabhagya, Sankrityabhagya, Tapariyabhagya, a summary or essence what is going to follow. So this is what water surely is greater than food and then he explains why is it so. Therefore, where there is not good rains, living creatures, they are in agony, thinking food will be scarce because there is no water. But when there is good rain, all the living creatures become joyous, thinking food will abound. That is why it is said when there is clouds thundering and slowly before that some creatures can smell that water is going to come. So it is well known that the peacocks go on dancing and then the frogs in a dried pond, they go on what you call shouting in their own language, thousands and millions of frogs go on doing it. The birds are happy, the plants know, even the animals know, even we also know about it. And a little bit of at the lower level, when our whole body becomes very hot, water comes as a result of it, we call it sweat. So water surely is greater and then what is he going to say? Water indeed has assumed all these forms, this earth, this sky, this heaven, these mountains, these gods and men, these cattle and birds, grasses and trees, beasts down to worms, flying insects and ants, having given the same description we are getting since so many sections. Water indeed has assumed all these forms. This sentence is a very Mahavakya sentence. What is Mahavakya? Jeva Atma Aikya Bodha. And it starts like this. Once Anathkumara had said that you meditate upon Annam, that means the earth element, one of the grossest of the fivest of the lowest of the five elements, that means identify yourself with the earthly element and Narada did so. And then what is it? The whole whatever is the living, the non-living, all the what is called the plant kingdom, the insect kingdom, the bird kingdom, the animal kingdom, the human kingdom and everything is the outcome of this earth only. They are not separate from earth. We are born of the earth, we are living by earth, we are sustained by earth and means all these elements and we also go back into them when the time comes for us to split all the elements, five elements, each element goes and merges in its own self. This is a most marvelous concept and that means if we are polluting the earth that is with excessive pesticides and fertilizers etc., whom are we poisoning? Our own selves. So if we are spraying lots of things to kill insects and animals and other things, we are poisoning because we are going to eat only those things. So whether it is a mountain which is called non-living, not in Vedanta. In Vedanta, it is called so asti uttara shyam dishi himalayo nama nagadi rajaha. Kalidasa goes into ecstasies and says the whole nature is nothing but a manifestation of God's beauty. Remember Ramakrishna going into bhava samadhi at the site when he beheld the whole sky was covered with thick black clouds against the background of which a huge flock of swans were flying in formation. Ramakrishna saw that beauteous nature of the God. But the point is everything that we see in the external world is nothing but the outcome of these five elements and everything that we see within us which is called mind and also higher than that the karana sharira is nothing but a manifestation of the subtler elements. This is how we have to understand. So in this particular he says apa eva eva imaha murtaha. Every manifestation that we see is nothing but a manifestation of water and in what form north form and everything that is the manifestation of the Earth and everything is the manifestation of the water. Everything is the manifestation of fire everything is the manifestation of vayu, the air and everything is the manifestation of Akasha and this whole Akasha is a manifestation of nothing but pure Atma. This is how we have to understand. This is called Upasana. Upasana means perfect identity. I am the earth, I am the water, I am the fire, I am the air and I am the space. And finally, only then we understand I am none other than Brahma. So, water indeed has assumed all these forms. Therefore, contemplate water as Brahman. Now we will go through the Sanskrit. Apo vavah anagbhuyah unarada The root cause of this annam is Apo. Therefore, it is subtler, it is more pervading, it is in control of this entire earth. Because the cause always controls the effect. And then he expands a little bit with natural examples. Tasmad, therefore, yada suvrishti na bhavati When there is no rain at all, good rain. And here also there are two expressions of rain. Ativurishti and Anagurishti. So, and there is also a third expression. What is Ativurishti? Too much rain. That also spoils. What is Anagurishti? No rain at all. That also we suffer. Floods. How many people are dying? Whenever tsunamis and other things come, all these things happen. But there is a third expression. That is called rain will come. Excellent rain. Required rain. But when it is not required. When it is required, it won't come. When it is not required, it will come. So, several times, first class mango crops are completely ruined. There should not be rain at one stage of the development of these mango fruits. But at one stage, it's very necessary. This applies to every crop that we can imagine. So, when there is not what is called sufficient rain. Not too much, not too less. And at the correct time. If it doesn't come, people suffer terribly. So, our what is called pranas, they suffer greatly. Why? No rains, therefore the food becomes scarce. Kaniya means scarce. But look at it. But yada suhrishti bhavati When there is good rains. Remember, good rains means just sufficient rain in the correct quantities. At the right time. At the right place. That is called suhrishti. Otherwise, it is called anabhrishti. So, pranah anandnaha bhavati So, every creature, the joy, they dance in great joy. Why? Annam bahu bhavishyati te There is going to be plenty of food for all the creatures. Because our very life is nothing but food only. Therefore, in the same way, Aapa eva imaha murtaha So, remember, O Narada, whatever you see in this world, they are nothing but pure manifestations of this Jala Tattva only. E ayam prithivi Not only on this earth. Yath antariksham So, the middle, upper world, what is called bhuvaha Yath dhyauh Suvarlokaha Yath parvataha All the mountains. Yath devaha Wherever there are devatas or presiding deities or the people who have done lot of dharma, they acquired lot of virtue and they are enjoying in the higher worlds. Not only that, Manushyaha All the human beings. Pashavasya All the animals. All the birds. All the plant kingdom. Trina vanaspataya Swapadani All the insects. All the flying insects. All the butterflies, etc. The ants, etc. which are crawling. What are they? Aapa eva imaha murtaha They are nothing but manifestations of this chala tattva. And you, O Narada, since you have already meditated upon, identified with the earthly element, now you know you are the earthly element, the next higher meditation for you will be this water which is the cause and this prithvi becomes the effect. So, aapa upasva iti Therefore, now you meditate upon this aapa, the root cause. Root cause means Brahman manifesting as waters. That means you rise to the cause of this prithvi, upasva iti. Naturally, he must have done this. So, what is the result? We have seen two types of people. Those who want sakami, they will get wherever. Sarvan kaman Whatever, what is called, desires the man has got. That is to say, I want to eat, I want to drink, and I want all the happinesses of the earth through all the five sense organs. Truptiman bhavati He becomes extremely satiated. He feels, I am a blessed person. Yavat apam gatham So long as wherever there is jala tattva or so long as you are identified with this element called waters. Brahma iti upasthi That means I am what is called Jala Brahma. Like I am Anna Brahma or Prithvi Brahma earlier. And Narada must have done it. And then his happiness must have increased a billion fold than when he obtained through the identification with the food. Then he asked the same question. Asti bhagavo abhyah bhuya iti Is there something superior? Sure. Abhyah bhava bhuyo asti Surely, there is something which is the cause of these waters and which is superior to the waters and without which waters will not be able to manifest. So, Bhagawan, please instruct me how I can identify, how can I do the sama. That is where we are entering into what is called 11th section. It is called Agni Brahma Upasana but herein it is called Tejo Brahma Upasana. Remember in the sixth chapter, so Atman has become Tejas, Tejas has become Jalam, Jalam has become Prithvi. So the first two Akasha and Vayu were not mentioned but in brackets we have to remember because here we are getting it. So Tejaha, heat and so there are subtler principles are always superior to the grosser ones because they are more pervasive in character. If water is superior to the earth principle, this Agni or fire is superior to the water principle. Therefore, He says Tejo bhava abhyo bhuyaha Tasmadva etadvayum agrahah So Narada says the Sanatkumara. The fire element is superior to the water element which again is superior to all that has been said before. Name, speech, mind, will, memory, contemplation, understanding, strength, food and then Jalam. Tejaha includes every element of light. That is an important point. Agni means what? Fire. Fire means what? Two elements. One is called light, another is called heat and wherever there is light, there is heat and wherever there is heat, there is light. Can you imagine fire without light? Can you imagine light without heat? That's why they say, Oh, I'm standing in the sunlight early in the morning, still cold and I'm just getting a bit of warmth but where is the fire? That warmth is the fire. Not only that, if you take a magnifying glass and then focus upon it, the sun rays, then it can burn entire cities, they can burn. So light and fire always go together. Therefore, light is fire, fire is light and therefore, so heat, fire means this heat, heat means the Tejas, heat means the sun, the moon, the fire that we get here and even electric lamps, etc. Even the five watt bulb, you put your hand for some time, you get the warmth. Are you getting light? Yes. Are you getting the warmth? Yes. So they always go together. So in this section, Sanat Kumara is enumerating through this process five elements instead of what we got in the sixth chapter. What did we get in the sixth chapter? Three elements, Tejaha and Jalaha and Prithi or Annam, what is called Annam. But let us not forget that Bhog or Prithi includes all the earlier elements like Nama, Vaak, Manaha, etc. And by proxy, every element that Narada was advised to meditate upon contains all that. Therefore, it is that heat which is the function of fire can dry up air and create such an atmosphere of warmth in the whole space or sky that we feel that air itself is not present. So we call it very humid sometimes. In the atmosphere or space, fire can intensify its function so much so that the working of air can appear to cease altogether. Then it becomes very hot and very humid. What do people say? It is hot, very hot, extremely hot, intolerably hot. But then comes a period, then they say it is going to rain. Especially I know in Bangalore, the day when it is very hot, inevitably, invariably, it will rain in the evening. That used to be the condition when the pollution has not increased so much at that time. But now also that is true. Many of the times it happens. So when it becomes very hot, so automatically we infer that perhaps it is going to rain. Why? Because the heat, what did it do? It is gathering the atmosphere clouds so that it wants to bestow upon us. And you can say we are doing tapasya. Tapasya means heat. Heat means we are suffering and that suffering will be removed through this relief called water. And when our body gets heated also, sweat comes out. Even when a person is talking and he becomes excited, then also the sweat will come out and the blood flows very fast. So first there is intense burning and then there will be rain, water comes. This is the case with every circumstance of intense heat whether it is outward or inward and therefore there is a production of water etc. But what is the water? When a speaker becomes extremely identified, becomes emotional, his what is called ideas become like pure cool water that enters and then makes people extremely happy and getting absorbed into them. So whenever there is heat and then what is the first sign? Rumbling sounds from various quarters from the space indicating it is about to rain. Then there will be lightning and then the slowly drizzling and depending upon conditions the water will come. Without water it is not possible. So therefore, O Narada, fire is the cause of the Jala Tattva. It manifests itself, it expresses itself as water as a consequence, as succeedingly, thereafter. So therefore recognize the superiority of fire as the cause of water and subtler than water and superior, more controlling because it is the mother of the water. Therefore meditate upon this fire element, Tejaha element. This way then this Agni is merged in air, air is merged in what is called Akasha or space and Akasha contains all the five elements in the subtlest form. Finally, even the Akasha is also traced to its cause which is called Atma. So we also have seen during the Pradaya, resolution of the whole world is supposed to get absorbed into space only. Only Akasha exists and this is the Upanishadic statements. And then we also have seen the water gets dried up, fire gets extinguished by air and air is absorbed into space. So finally space is the ultimate visible reality, most comprehensive, re-expansive, inclusive of everything. And everything is there as we have seen in the Trilogic. We are all outside, inside, entire Prithvi, entire Jala Tattvam, entire Agni Tattvam is nothing but manifestation of the Agni Tattvam. So whenever we work hard then heat is produced and that heat gives the result of the work. When the male and female mate together, heat is produced and as a result water is produced. As a result the cross body is produced. And this is the principle we have to understand. With this background we can just go through this in today's class just a little bit. Here it goes. Nishochati Nitapati Varshishyati Va Iti Tejayeva Tatpurvam Darshayitva Atha Aapah Srijate Tade Tat Uddhva Vishcha Tiraschi Vishcha Vidyut Vihi Ahradah Charanti Tasmad Ahuh Vidyotate Stanyati Varshishyati Va Iti Tejayeva Tatpurvam Darshayitva Atha Aapah Srijate Tejaha Brahma Iti Upasva Iti So what does it mean? Fire surely is greater than water. This is called Sutra Vakya. It is this fire that having seized the air, bounces up the entire Akasha. Then people say it is hot. It is burningly hot. It will surely rain. Then it is fire that shows itself first and then creates water. It is because of this fire that there is thunder and then along with lightenings flashing upwards, downwards, across, everywhere. And so people say lightening is flashing. It is thundering. Surely it will rain. Then it is fire that shows itself first and then creates water. So in Aradha, worship fire. Because fire as perceived in heat and lightening which precedes rain is here supposed to be the cause of water. Now we can follow the logical steps. This fire or Tejas creates the water. And so every creature is nothing but manifestation of the waters. And water manifests this earth. And every creature is nothing but manifestation of this earth. Just like curds is the manifestation of milk. And every furniture is the manifestation of wood. And every golden ornament is the manifestation of gold. This is a marvellous truth. Meditate upon this middle principle. That is Agni Tattvam. Identify yourself. Finally, the whole cosmos is the manifestation of fire. And if we understand this one, then it is very easy to follow the other ones also. Slowly Sanat Kumara is leading step by step into the subtler, more pervasive, more controlling cause. Ultimately, we can only stop with Atman. And this we will discuss in our future classes. Om Jananem Sharadaam Deven Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padmet Ayo Saritva Pranamaami Mohur Moho May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna