Chandogya Upanishad Lecture 64 on 29 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. In our last class we completed the twelfth kundar section known as Akashabhrahma Passana. AKASHABHRAHMA PASSANA AKASHABHRAHMA PASSANA TEJASO BHOYAN AKASHEVAI SURIYA CHANDRAMA SAVUBHAVU PIDYAT NAKSHATRANI AGNIHI AKASHENA AHVAITHI AKASHENA SHRUNOTHI AKASHENAPRITHISHRUNOTHI AKASHERAMATHA Aakashay naramata. Aakashay jayatha. Aakasham avijayatha. Aakasham upasva iti. Aakasha surely is greater than fire. In Aakasha indeed exist both the sun and the moon and lightning, the stars and fire. Through Aakasha one calls. Through Aakasha one hears. And because of Aakasha one also hears the response. In Aakasha one rejoices. In Aakasha alone one doesn't rejoice. In Aakasha a thing is born. And towards Aakasha it grows. So worship Aakasha as Brahma. Aakasham brahma iti upasthe. Asti bhagavan aakashad bhuyahayate. Aakashad bhava bhuyo asteti. Tanme bhagavan bravetu iti. He who contemplates Aakasha as Brahman, as one's own self, that is, I am Aakasha and attains that oneness. He indeed attains infinite worlds, vast worlds, full of light, unconfined, spacious. He is free to act as he wishes in this sphere within the reach of Aakasha. He who worships Aakasha as Brahman attains all these. Privyet sir asks Narada of Sanathkumara. Is there anything greater than Aakasha? Surely there is something greater than Aakasha. Privyet sir, please communicate it to me. Please instruct me so that I can contemplate and attain oneness with it. This is what we have discussed in our last class and completed. Just to recollect what we discussed, this is the essence. This is one of the greatest of all Upasanas. Before we are able to conceive of pure consciousness, before we can even have an iota of idea about Atman, pure consciousness, Brahman, we must start with Aakasha Upasana. Anyone who succeeds in identifying himself with Aakasha will be able to acquire at least these four following qualities. What are they? These qualities of Aakasha are almost similar to the qualities of Brahman. Remember, Brahman does not have any qualities but for the sake of contemplation we imagine Brahman to be having some qualities. Aakasha and Brahman have got some common features. That is it. I am formless. Any person contemplates on this Aakasha Brahma and becomes one with it. So at the beginning he says I am different. Aakasha is different and I am contemplating on Aakasha. But as he progresses in this contemplation and then finally attains oneness with Aakasha, what does he feel? I am formless. He does not say I am formless like Aakasha. He says I am formless, I am all-pervading, I am indivisible, I am uncontaminated, untouched. These are the four qualities. That means I am infinite. Narada must have practiced this contemplation and until he practices he will not approach the teacher like Indra. Until he contemplated what he was taught for 32 years he did not come out. So Narada must have done that. This is what we have to do. Upanishad does not say but we have to insert. So Narada identifies himself with Aakasha as formless, all-pervading, indivisible and unattached. And this is the nearest Upasana if one wants to realize God or Brahman. But Sanat Kumara is going to take us through a few more steps. But this is the essence of the section 12th of the 7th chapter of Chandogya Upanishad called Aakasha Brahma Upasana. Now Shri Ramakrishna also has to say about this. Do you know how a Gnani meditates? Think of infinite Aakasha and a bird flying there joyfully spreading its wings. There is the Chidakasha and the Atma, individual soul is the bird. The bird is not imprisoned in a cage. It flies in the Chidakasha. Its joy is limitless. That is a beautiful commentary on this Upasana. There is a beautiful incident. Shri Ramakrishna identified himself with the Divine Mother. So one day he was at I think Jairambati and suddenly he had taken food at night, gone to bed. We all know Shri Ramakrishna sleeps only for an hour or two, no more than that throughout his night. Then how does he get rest? Through Samadhi. Just as we get so much of rest by experiencing Sushupti or deep sleep and if Sushupti itself can give us so much of joy called Ananda, how much joy should Shri Ramakrishna derive from it? So towards midnight, suddenly he came out of Samadhi and he said, I am ravenously hungry, prepare something. Of course, in those small villages, very difficult to imagine and there are no shops where they can go and buy something and immediately feed him. So they counter questioned him. So just now you have eaten and Shri Ramakrishna says, when did I eat? I am just now coming from Dakshineshwar. What does he mean? He meant that he was Mother Kali and Mother Kali herself came to Jairambati and this type of incidents happened not once, twice but many a time. When Hridaynath, Hriday Mukhopadhyay, his nephew was performing Durga Puja, Shri Ramakrishna used to come. He was visible only to Hriday and he used to fan at the Vesper service, evening or at night only Hriday could see. Shri Ramakrishna was fanning the Divine Mother. He said, I had come through a subtle path made up of light, Shukla Gati, whatever you call it. So as a result of this contemplation on Akasha Brahma, one becomes not Brahman but almost like Brahman. So Narada must have practiced and then approached and said, I feel this is not complete. So is there something superior? Of course, there is something superior than this and so that is what comes next in the next 13th section and it is called Smara Brahma Upasana. So Trayodasha Khandaha Smara Brahma Upasana and Smara we have already seen in this very chapter earlier but that Smara belongs to the individual whereas this goes much, much deeper. Otherwise, you may wonder why is Sanat Kumara repeating and he is repeating about memory as he lost his memory that he has already repeated it. No, having given some idea about memory there, here he is giving even much, much better, deeper, much deeper understanding. So what is this memory? We have to be very careful about it. It is called Smara in this Upanishad. So Smara means remember, that means memory but here means what? It means Atma Smriti, I am. That is called memory. That is why in the Bhagavad Gita, we have Arjuna asked by Krishna, have you listened to my talk carefully and thought about it and understood it? There also we have to understand by the grace of Bhagavan Krishna, it is not only Shramana, not only Manana but Nidhidhyasana. So if you have heard then your delusion should have got. What delusion? I am Arjuna. That I am Arjuna, that is the delusion and that is the root cause of all delusions that is body-mind complex. This is called Jeevatma. Immediately, without hesitation, he says Nasto Mohaha, my delusion is completely destroyed. How did it get destroyed? Smriti Labdha, Smriti, that Smriti has to be connected here with this Smara. What is that Smara or Smriti? I am, not Arjuna. Arjuna is a name for body-mind complex, one particular body-mind complex, not even a second two body-mind complex, only one. But when Arjuna, he disappeared and then he said I am Atman. That means the best English translation for it would be, don't say I am Atman, I am Brahman, simply say I am. The moment we say I am this or that, whatever is added to that I am plus something and I am in Sanskrit is called Aham and whatever is added to that Aham is called Kara, Aham Kara. So Arjuna had gotten rid of Kara. That Kara is called delusion, Moha, which causes Vishada. That is why the very first chapter is beautifully titled as Arjuna Vishada Yogaha. How can Vishada be Yoga? Many times I explained it is only Vishada that is suffering, that is unhappiness, that is a tremendous amount of agony and that alone can bring us to the lotus feet of God. Anybody who is enjoying sweets, sitting in an air-conditioned room is not going to attain this Smarana, Smriti. I am Brahman, I am Atman. Rather his worldly bondage becomes deeper. I am enjoying this, I would like to have it again and again and again, occasionally. So this is what is called Smara, means what first comes I am. And before going into the introduction, I would like to give an example. Suppose you are seeing a tree, which comes first, tree or you? So what is the, in you, what is the first thing? I am here and I am opening my eyes and I am seeing this tree. Therefore, without that I am, it is not possible. This is what even Isavasya Upanishad says. So it moves and at the same time it doesn't move. It is far, it is near, it is inside, it is outside. Then Atman sits here and every object is, imagine somebody is running to Mars, but you are here, but already you are able to outrun them. You outrun everybody else. And just sitting here, why? Because sitting here is not the correct translation. Sitting means I am everywhere. Therefore, I am. So what does it mean? First comes that consciousness. I am aware, I am on Mars and this is called an object called Mars. I am and here is an object called a tree. I am witnessing a tree. So also apply this to Shabda, Sparsha and Prasa and Gandha. First comes eye consciousness, awareness and then only comes experience of any object. Before even to say there is an object, a subject must be there and that self-consciousness, self-awareness is here termed as memory. So in the last, this is the 13th section, the last 12 sections which we have completed. Sanat Kumara taught to Narada 12 Upasanas and then in the last Akasha Upasana. Why? Because everything is contained in the Akasha, not only objects but experience of the objects. But how did you, how did I, how did we experience this every object? Because I must be aware of both the Akasha and also everything. So Smara Vava Akasha Bhuyaha. Therefore, Smara is superior. That means it is the cause of Akasha. Akasha which contains everything. You look at a tree, there must be space for the tree to be contained. Look at a house, look at a car, look at your own body, look at your own mind, look at your spiritual thoughts, there must be Akasha. And as we discussed earlier, three types of Akashas are mentioned. If it is through experiences, through the physical body, it is called Bahya Akasha, external space. But if it is worldly thoughts, it is called Chitta Akasha. If it is spiritual thoughts, Chitta Akasha, Chitta Akasha. But I am seeing, I am thinking, I am contemplating on God. What comes first, even in language, I am seeing, I am thinking, I am contemplating. Remove that I am, everything disappears. This is what Shri Ram Krishna said. Any number of zeros has absolutely no value. There must be number one. After that, every number or in his language, every zero increases, multiplies the value of anything. That is what here, that number one, I, I am, that is called Smara. So, this is of course a little bit peculiar term which has been interpreted as the power of consciousness and it is recognized as self-existence or in other words, I am. Our consciousness of our own existence is prior to the operation of our consciousness of the recognition of space outside us. In the last Upasana, Akasha. How do I know, first comes me, then only comes Akasha. First comes Atma, then only comes space. The space is contained within me. So, our consciousness of the, that I am existent is prior to the Akasha of which I have to contemplate. Just imagine, Sanath Kumar instructed Akasha Brahmaidhu Paswa. So, then he went and did. What was the first stage? I am separate. Akasha is an object and even when we are thinking of Brahman, Brahman is an object. Whatever we are thinking, that's an object. That's why it is called Brahma Akara Vritti. So, it is a very special type of memory which precedes all memories. It is a very foundation of every memory. For example, you see somebody and you say, oh, I remember you. We met at such and such a place 25 years back. Take this example. First, I am and I had this experience and I remember that experience which should come first. I should come first. If I am not there, there is no question of space being there. So, therefore, Smara or this I-consciousness or self-existence, self-consciousness is surely greater than Akasha. If one is not conscious of his or her own existence, there is no question of space and no question of anything that exists within the space. And this we have seen also further. So, if somebody wants to enjoy and that object should be in this space and I have to be aware there is an object. I come into contact and if it is positive experience, I enjoy. If it is negative experience, I suffer. But whether to enjoy or suffer, that I have to be first present because who says I enjoy which comes first? Enjoy or I? Only I. Suffering or I? I comes first. So, there is thinking. This is called thinking. This is called understanding. This is called hearing. So, every desire moves that way. Every activity in our life is first an offshoot of our own existence, consciousness of our existence minus self-consciousness. Nothing exists. Simply you think about as an example that you are in front of some person or object but your mind has gone somewhere. That means your self-awareness has gone somewhere and the whole world disappears excepting what you are thinking. So, this meditation upon this Mara or self-consciousness is a very superior type of meditation where we regard self-consciousness itself as the object of meditation. This is what is called who am I? While trying to understand Bhaja Govindam Stotram, we have seen that one. So, here something changes there. All this time we are saying I am seeing, I am hearing, I am tasting, I am touching, I am smelling. But now we are slowly turning from the objective to the subjective. That is what in Katha Upanishad, second Valli, it is said that Brahma, the creator, created every sansargan faced outward and therefore we are only seeing what is outward. But there was an intelligent person. He understood this will not do. So, he turned his eyes inward. This is that turning inward. I want to know who am I? I am all the time saying I am but who am I because every time externally I am seeing something. So, immediately I am a body seeing a tree. I am the body seeing a mountain. I am the mind thinking about what I had experienced before. So, all these things. But think of Sushupti. What experience? The whole world disappears. What remains? Unspecified I-consciousness but that is also unconsciously being conscious of self-consciousness. It is a very interesting definition. Unconsciously being aware of I-consciousness, self-consciousness. But this is called turning from the objective to the subjective and then as we discussed earlier, there is a definite relationship between the consciousness of objects and the objects of consciousness. So, consciousness is the subject and every object is an object. What is the relationship? The objects cannot exist. The world doesn't exist without me being aware of myself. But I exist without any objects, without the world and we do not pay attention to it. So, it escapes our notice. We always take it for granted. Objects are independent, hanging in space as it were, unconnected including our own body and mind. That is absolutely a false understanding. So, to come from outside to inside, to the subjective from the objective, that is when spiritual life really starts and that is said in the Tantric language. What is it? There are seven chakras. When our mind is completely identified, preoccupied with the lower three chakras, Mooladhara, Swadhishtana and Manipura, we are not aware of the distinction between myself and the outside world. I become the world, the world becomes me. But as Ramakrishna says, once we find that spiritual pathway called Sushumna and our consciousness rises, that is the beginning of spiritual life, which means to say, now the object of my contemplation is self-consciousness itself. Who am I? This is what Katha Upanishad, as I mentioned just now, in the second Valli, first what is called section and first mantra itself. So, that is when spiritual life starts and in the scheme of Ashrama, according to our Hinduism, this is what is called Vanaprasthashrama. It is turning away from the objective to the subjective. So, this is the essence of the 13th section called the Smara Brahma Upasana. So, with this background, it is easy to understand as I have been doing. You must have noticed I was giving the essence of what is going to be followed and then it will be easier for us to understand. So, Smara means what? Being conscious of self-consciousness and then only everything is possible. So, here goes the mantra. Again, there are two mantras. First, what is the greatness, superiority of Smara? Second, Sanat Kumara says, now you contemplate on what we discussed right now as Brahma, that is Smara Brahma Iti Upasva and what results? If he is a lower type of aspirant, he wants more happiness, higher lokas and if he is bent only on spiritual progress, then he will be thinking of what we call, what is the next step? How can I quickly reach Brahman? So, here it goes. Smara is far superior and remember the cause is far superior to the effect. The cause is much more pervasive than the effect. The cause is having absolute control more than the karya or effect. Tasmat and then the Rishi gives beautiful examples. Tasmat means what? So, if you have understood, Smara is even superior cause of Akasha and whatever Akasha contains, Tasmat, even that Akasha. Memory surely is greater than Akasha. Therefore, even if many persons should assemble and if they should have no memory, they surely would not hear any sound, they would not be able to think, they would not be able to know anything. But surely, should they have memory, then they would hear, then they would think, then they would know. Through memory, indeed, one designs one's sense. Through memory, one's cattle and therefore worship memory. Sanat Kumara gives only few examples. So, now we will go into the simple Sanskrit meaning Smara. This self-awareness, self-consciousness, self-existence, vava, indeed, Akashadbhuyaha is superior, is the cause, is subtler, is more pervasive than Akasha. And then, example, Tasmat and because of this reason given here, Yad Yapi Bahavaha Asiran. Yad Yapi, even though, Bahavaha Asiran. Imagine, there are quite a number of people and all of them, imagine further, we need not be poor in imagination. There are so many people, imagine, they are all great pundits, great brahmanas, great learned people, wise people, whatever. And then, Nasmarantaha. Absolutely, they are not aware of themselves. Like in, the example, in deep sleep, they are not aware. So, suppose somebody is completely thinking something else and this is, we can understand this very easily because how many times your mind has gone to the ends of the world, even during this few minutes of this talk. So, Smarantaha, they do not remember what they are doing. They are not paying attention. Naivate Kanchana. So, Kanchana means, even a little bit. Na evate shunaiho. So, they may be a hula hula. And just imagine, a person who is retired, who sits there and Shri Ram Krishna gives a beautiful example. Once a man wanted to attend some Hari Katha. So, he heard that there is a beautiful Hari Katha and Shri Ram Krishna was a very spicy master, humorous. So, he says, there was this man, he was a great miserly fellow. So, there were so many such Kathas are being held, great discourses were being held, usually on Bhagavatam, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. So, he went to one such performance and then he found he has to pay money. So, that is one example he gives. So, he went to the other one and he found out he is completely free and that is another example. So, this man, there was another man who hearing that this Katha is going on, performance is going on, a bit earlier he came and he found out there were not many people. He spread his mat and then he said, when the Katha starts, I will wake up and listen and he must have been very tired and then he slept and by the time he woke up, there was nobody else again. When he asked upon inquiry, he came to know that Katha started, Katha was finished and everybody had gone away. In fact, the same thing happened in actual life. When somebody came, heard that Shri Ram Krishna was coming to some devotee's house, he went there much earlier and he spread his mat and slept and then meanwhile Shri Ram Krishna came, wonderful talk was there, dancing was there, singing was there and the person was completely unaware of it and then Shri Ram Krishna took leave of the host and all the devotees, practically everybody deserted. Suddenly, he woke up and said, asked, has he come? Meaning, has Shri Ram Krishna come? And everybody laughed, whoever was left out there because Shri Ram Krishna came, he talked, so he rolled, he unrolled his mat and keeping it under his armpit, he departed to his own house and you can understand whether you are looking at a cinema, listening to a talk, reading a book or driving, how many people make accidents not paying attention. So, na smaranthaha, they are not aware, what it means is, I want to listen, I want to cook, I want to speak, I want to read, that is called self-awareness and this is what a special technique called, it is practiced by one branch of the Buddhists, it is called Vipassana. So, these people suppose, they are not aware, naivate kanchana shunayu, nobody hears anybody, of course, if somebody is not hearing something, na manviran, there is the question of thinking about it and na vijaniran, there is the question of acquiring knowledge about it, not possible. But then, yada pavate smarayuhu, the same people, they might have learnt their lesson, we have to add it in our imagination and then they are very keenly aware, so they will sit there, atha smarayuhu, then they remember, we have come here to learn something, atha shunayuhu, they listen, atha manviran, it makes them thoughtful, they start thinking about it, atha vijaniran, so then they understand, they digest and then their life will be transformed. This is one example, smarena vayi putran vijanati, smarena pashun vijanati, this second sentence vijanati is not there, but for the sake of understanding, I have added, smarena vayi, only when a person is aware, this is my son, these are my children, this is my family, these are my parents, these are my relatives, servants, houses, these are my patients, everything, smarena vayi putran vijanati, you know, we hear sometimes stories, these doctors, physicians, sometimes when they do operation, they leave some of the instruments in the earlier times inside, and then after stitching everything, suddenly they miss that instrument, and then they remember, they are forced to re-open the stitches and take out the instrument, so much, sometimes, not all the time, smarena vayi putran vijanati, to recognize I am in India, and I am a Hindu, and this is my family, this is my job, and all these things are possible only if there is self-awareness, self-consciousness, self-existence, I am aware, when are you aware that you are, only when you remember that I am alive, only when you know you are alive, you are alive, otherwise whether you are dead or alive, nobody will know, you will not know, others may know, smarena pashu, pashu means everything else, the whole world, therefore, ponaratha smaram upasva iti, this is the essence of it, so now the question that pops, what is the relationship between the last chapter and this chapter, there it is said, akasham brahma iti upasva, so you contemplate upon akasha, why, because akasha contains everything in this world, without space, nothing can be there, if there is something, then it is in space, that is the idea, now what is the connection between akasha, that means the whole universe, the whole creation and smarana, smarana, here smara means smarana, smarana means I am aware, what is it, because akasha, remember, it is, it accommodates, avakasha pradhatru iti akashaha, everything, it accommodates everything, the whole creation is indeed there and the other way round also, we must understand, when you see some object, it is in space, so Shankaracharya says, explaining this one, the relationship between akasha and this smarana is what is called the superior memory called self-awareness, so all transactions are possible only if one can identify things clearly, if I am not unaware of something, I cannot identify, I must know, this is a car and it is coming fast towards me, what shall I do, so when a person experiences an object and understands what an object is and then what is its effect, then he resists, that experience resists us in his mind, so any example, you are eating, maybe you love something, in gospel you get, there was Mahendra Lal Sarkar, once the topic had come, Sriram Krishna says, many times I am not aware when I am eating, even Girish Chandra Ghosh also said the same thing, Mahendra Lal Sarkar said, what to speak of you, even I am not aware of when I am eating, when I am eating, suddenly the family, one family member says, wife or daughter, so father, there is, the salt is much less, he says, is it so and he tastes, yes, yes, you are right, he was not aware, he was swallowing but whether he is tasty or not, how much he is eating, it doesn't matter and this actually happened to Swami Vivekananda, he was very hungry, he sat down and he was thinking something else and then he asked somebody, how many chapatis have I eaten and then others mentioned, so many chapatis we have served you, you have eaten, oh, I was not aware of it, sometimes it happens also, so only when we experience an object and understand what it is and register it in my mind, in our minds, that is we remember, this is such and such an object, then only that will come next time to use, when I see the same object next time, oh, I know this object, what I should do, what I should not do, I know, this created terrible stomach upset last time, so I better not touch this one, so apply it to the whole world, the very existence of the world is because of memory, no memory, the world is as good as non-existent, think of, remember Sushupti, so that is what it says, memory is that basic self-awareness because of which we are able to identify, I am so and so, this is my body, this is my mind, this is my family, this is my country, this is my religion and this is my office, this is what must do, this is called any Pratyaksha Pramana, that is direct experience and seeing something, that is called Pratyaksha, it will reveal only a substance, for example, I already am going through this, so that the idea sinks into our minds, so I have seen a tree without being aware, sometimes what happens, you know, I am vaguely aware, there is a tree, there is something here, there is a tree but I don't remember what tree it is, I don't remember whether it is good or bad, I don't remember what I should do with that tree or not or a person or not, a fruit or not, a sweet or not, so direct experience, the eyes are seeing, the ears are hearing but the person has gone somewhere, he is not aware of it at all, sometimes, Sairam Krishna experiences are peculiar, once Girish Chandra Ghosh was invited to Balram Babu's house and Sairam Krishna was again and again entering into deep Samadhi, so he entered and then it became Sandhya time, evening time and then Sairam Krishna slowly coming back to that consciousness, then he asks Sairam Krishna, is it already the Sandhya, the dusk and Girish Chandra Ghosh, what hypocrisy, so many lights are burning, one is not able to see and this fellow is pretending that oh, I don't know what is day or night, what is the conjunction between day and night, enough of this hypocrisy and several years he did not come back, later on when he came to know Sairam Krishna, then he understood, Sairam Krishna was not pretending, it was not hypocrisy, simply his mind as if gone to some higher realm, that's all, so when we see something, if we are slightly aware and we say, I am able to see this tree, that is called Pratyaksha Pramana, direct evidence but then if I do not, if I am not fully awake, fully aware and that's why Swami Vivekananda's clarion call, Uthishthata, first thing is be self-aware, then only Jagratha, be very, observe things naturally, is this what you are after, then only Prapyavaran Nibodhata, so if we are seeing something, our direct experience will not tell, I am seeing something vaguely, that's all, whether this is a cot, is a house, is a person known, we do not know, Pramana doesn't reveal but for the Pramana to work properly, we have to be completely self-aware and in Memamsa, this peculiar process is called Artha Kriya Karitva, means what, this object serves a particular purpose and not only we have to remember through past experiences that this is such and such an object, it is pleasurable, painful and whether I should eat it, smell it, whether I should touch it, all these things, not only that, if there is no self-awareness, what happens to the very language I am speaking to you and if you don't know the language, that is also a kind of non-self-aware, you are not aware of this particular language, you may be aware of some other language, that also will not help and there are people who drink and who become almost semi-conscious, so they cannot understand, like that they go on talking, therefore Shankaracharya says the very utility of an object depends upon our memory and then you know, we have discussed this earlier, when a person becomes what is called, he loses his complete memory, amnesia, then dementia, what happens, the whole world is gone, even when the children whom he knew for so many years come and say, Papa, do you recognize me, he says it is not possible and in the 6th chapter of this Richaandogya, we have also seen when a person is about to die, so long as he is aware, do you recognize me, if that question is asked, yes, yes, you are my son, you are my brother, you are my neighbour, etc., but when that self-awareness goes deep inside him, he will not be able to even hear, understand, much less respond, therefore the very existence of the world, which means my own body and mind also, they are connected, if the body-mind is there, but I am not aware, world is not there, world is not there, body-mind is there, but that also is completely useless, so the world depends on its utility, cognition, utility and action, it all depends upon our capacity to identify, to separate one object from the other object and what is the good of it and how to use it, how to get benefit from it or how to avoid dangers, etc., therefore memory, memory means what, first I am conscious, I am aware, that is what is meant, lends existence to the whole world, this is the explanation specially Shankaracharya gives, of course Upanishad doesn't elaborate so much, but Shankaracharya in his Bhashya, he says, so this is what, even though there are so many people, they are not aware, then what happens, then those people will not be able to hear what others are talking, even if he is babbling, he will not be able to hear what he is babbling, much less think about it and still less understand and act or react or keep quiet, keeping quiet also is a reaction, remember, it is not non-action, deliberate action called I will not act, that is called non-acting, therefore Akasha is useless without this Smara, but when there is Smara, the whole Akasha becomes very useful, then Akasha is useful, then everything else becomes also very useful, so he who contemplates upon this Smara, self-awareness, cultivates self-awareness, Brahma ity upasate, contemplates on this self-awareness Brahma, that means he says, I am completely aware, I am one with consciousness, then the same rigmarole follows, then if he is a lower type of aspirant, he will be all the time aware, he will be able to understand things and sort out the good from the bad, the pleasant from the unpleasant and that is what in Kata Upanishad, one of the first things is that one who is after this world is incapable of understanding what is right, what is wrong and here his whole life will be extremely happy and I will close this talk with this, I am putting it as a practical example, what is this example, we meet so many people and they give so much of pleasure and benefit, but we are not looking for pleasure, we are looking for whether it will do good in our future life, for our future, what lessons have I learnt, learn the lessons, that is the main purpose of all existence, all life, that is why Swamiji said that is called gymnasium, self-aware, develop your self-awareness and then I will be able to decide these people are useful, I get benefit, these people are not useful, I will not benefit, apply now this to Shri Ramakrishna's first commandment which is called they cultivate the company of the holy, if we do not know who is holy, who is unholy, by observing their effect upon us, then our life will be useless, so we presume Narada having been instructed went and then became completely aware and he is ready for the next step and which we will see in our next class. May Shri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna.