Dakshinamurti Stotram Part 12 on 06 February 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIM SHARADAM DEVIM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADMETAYOH SRIDHVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMUHUM OM YO BRAHMANAM VIDADHATI PURVAM YO VAI VEDAMS CHAPRAHINOTI TASMAI TAMMHA DEVAM ATMA BUDDHE PRAKASHAM MUMOKSHU RUVAYE SHARANAMAHAM PRAPADYE We have been studying the Dakshinamurthy Stotram. In our last class, we had completed the first shloka Vishwam Darpanadrishyamana Nagarithulyam. There are certain Mahavakyas and one of the most important of these Mahavakyas is Tattvamasi. In the first three verses, shlokas of this Dakshinamurthy Stotram, the first verse is illustrating the nature of the Jeeva, Tvam padartha, and the second verse of Tat padartha, that is of Brahman, and the third verse very clearly declares there is absolutely no difference between the Jeeva, the individual soul and Brahman. The whole universe is nothing but Brahman, just as when we have a dream, upon waking up, we understand, each one of us understand, that the whole thing is me playing with myself. We should take this meaning, which is called Lakshyaartha, the real meaning. Even though for the sake of attaining dispassion, we have to temporarily withdraw from the world, but the truth is, there cannot be any untruth. Truth alone is, and whatever appears is nothing but, it is the same truth, but as if reflected in the mirror in the mind. The understanding should be, that excepting Brahman, nothing else exists. So the first shloka is the deep analysis of Tvam padartha, predominantly talking about the nature of Jeeva. Jeeva is none other than Brahman, but the same Jeeva, when awakened, Prabodha Samayek, then he understands, I am that non-dual Brahman. We have completed that much. When I realize, I understand, that my true nature is, I am one, I am eternal, I am infinite, there is nothing else in this world. Now we are going to deal with the second verse, and the second verse goes like this. In this second verse, the idea that is to be explored is, the entire cause of this whole universe is nothing but Brahman, the law of cause and effect. There is a rule, a law, that the effect cannot be in any way different from the cause. If we are perceiving the difference, not because there is a difference, but because of a defect in the viewing instrument, understanding instrument, that is going to be explored here. But what causes this partial perception, wrong perception, it is a special power called maya. If there is maya, maya is a power. If there is a power, there must be some conscious being, because always maya or power or energy or efficiency, these are abstract terms. There must be a conscious being, only then that power can be wielded. If there is a power, there must be a wielder of the power. If somebody is making a pot, a pot or clay doesn't make itself a pot. Always there must be a conscious entity called potter, a conscious entity called a goldsmith, a conscious entity called a carpenter, so on. So there must be somebody to whom this power belongs and who has that knowledge how to use that power and always this is called the relationship between the cause and the effect. The effect always points out both causes, the material cause as well as the efficient cause. That's what we are going to explore in this second shloka. So Shankaracharya being a master of similes, analogies, examples, he has given a beautiful example. Look at any seed, seed of anything, whether it is human or whether it is an animal or whether it is a plant. Here he takes the example of a seed of a plant. Bija means a seed. When we look even with the most powerful microscope, what do we see? Say for example, a mango seed or a banyan seed. What do we see? We don't see anything at all. You take the most powerful telescope or microscope, cut it into a thousand pieces and look at it. It all appears to be absolutely one and yet when it is put in wet soil and cared for, you will see in course of time, a huge mango tree, a huge banyan tree is only as an example. Human seed. Examine at a one celled human seed. Do you see a white man, a black man, yellow man, Hindu, Christian, learned, ignorant, powerful, helpless? You will not see any difference at all. In fact, we don't see any difference not only in that seed form. If you see a million babies, you will only see a little bit of difference in the bodies, black, white, etc. Slowly start to differentiate with each other, emerge. But what their potentiality is, is impossible to understand. The most famous illustration is of Einstein. When he was in the school, his mathematics teacher called him dull, dumb. But he became one of the greatest physicists of all times. So far nobody was able to even come into 100th part of him. And it is very interesting. When Swami Vivekananda used to fall asleep, he used to sleep, fall asleep by having two types of visions. One type of vision is a small piece of light. Slowly the light is growing and growing and growing and growing and it occupies the whole universe, pervades the whole universe. And Swami Vivekananda used to feel that I have become one, I have become merged with that light is one way. Another way, he used to see the most powerful king for whom nothing can be denied. Everything is his if he wishes. And then a second imagery used to come. An all-renouncing, shaven-headed monk wandering the face of the earth, totally dependent upon God. And with that second vision, this Narendranath used to fall asleep. The first one indicates what is called Parabrahma Tattva. And the second one indicates a Jeevan Muktas state. So that is what he became. He was born. He can never be tied down by marriage or any such bonds. He also, when we fall asleep, we also create immediately a world of our own according to our samskaras. That is because we don't want to be anything better. But observe carefully, suppose a person really wants to progress in spiritual life, naturally his whole habit will change. He will, whatever helps him to become spiritual, his whole mind will be gravitating, orienting towards that single idea. He reads spiritual books, meditates upon God, talks about God or scriptures. He creates his own dream universe. As an example, I'm giving you the history of Nagamahasaya. He was, when he was a young boy, he lost his mother and his aunt brought him up. And this aunt was very religious people. In those days, most people were religious, not because they were spiritual, but because that was the culture of the land, whether in India or elsewhere. She used to love this boy very much and take him in her lap and go on narrating beautiful stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. Most of the people in that generation used to be nurtured, including Sriram Krishna, who was told these stories by his father, Sridharam and Swami Vekananda, Narendranath, Bhuvaneshwari Devi, who had phenomenal memory, used to take Narendra in her lap and narrate. She could recite entire Ramayana, Mahabharata and correct even those who are explaining these things. She used to tell these stories. And you know, Narendranath really believed that Hanuman exists. One day he went out and then he did not find. And sadly, he came and complained, I wanted to have darshan of Hanuman after hearing Ramayana from his mother, but I could not find. He was in the babyhood at that time. So his mother consoled him. Rama must have sent him on some work and he will come soon. Then he will have his vision. So this Naga Mahasaya, whole night he used to dream of only these Gods and Goddesses. Next morning with a radiant, joyful face, he started, Aunty, I have dreamt of these Gods and Goddesses. And she used to wonder, I never had probably on a single day, how come this boy is having whole night practically every day? Why? Because he believed in them. There was not a shred of doubt about him. Now, what are we talking about? When we examine the seed, we cannot see any difference between the root, the trunk, the branches, the flowers, the leaves and the fruits. Even when a human baby is a few years old, very hard to find out the difference. Only probably after two years old, everyone develops his or her individuality that comes out. So here, Shankaracharya is giving, when we examine a seed, the entire future manifestation is in a potential form. And that is why Swami Vivekananda's first declaration, each soul is potentially divine. What is that divinity? That into which we are going to grow inevitably. No time, no space, no causation can hold us back forever. Only temporary period. I would even go to state, this temporary period, according to Advaita Vedanta, is we have all fallen into this trap of Mahamaya. But according to Shri Ramakrishna, according to Purvami Mamsa, through Vedic teaching, this is a process of growth. Just as we discussed in our past classes, Vedas are mine of knowledge. And these Vedas were not created by human intellect, but revelations from God. And it includes the first part of the Veda, which is called Purvami Mamsa, which consists of not only Vedic rites, but the first three stages of human development, that is a student's life and also the life of a householder and the life of a vanaprastha or a retired person. It is every stage of life is an ashrama. A student learns about what is life, what is my nature, how can I use this life to progress and experiment with it in the grihastha ashrama, grow further, then slowly withdraw. So the first part of the Veda is only what we call that which aids us to develop praise, Dharma, Artha as well as Kama and one is not specified, but it is called Upasana. And then in course of time, everybody must develop. What are we talking about? That every seed is a potential growth of its own true nature, whether it is a seed of an animal, a plant, a human being or anything like that. If we can just imagine even the so-called lifeless mountain, how does it start? In a small way, if you study the history of Everest, Himalayas, they have all grown from a small stage and these Himalayas have grown and grown and grown. In the Puranas, we get it, how these parvatas started to grow and grow and if you still believe our Puranas, parvatas at one time, they were having consciousness, they could fly and because they used to fall thoughtlessly upon people or animals and destroy, Indra came and cut off their wings, etc. And every Hindu, worth his salt, worships whether it is a river, a mountain, the earth, the water, the fire, the air and the Akasha. The highest possible worship is of what is called space, Akasha. These are not inert things. These are all devatas because the whole universe, all our bodies and minds are made up of this. But what is this Bijaar seed? A bit of consciousness combined with some bits of these pancha bhutas is called that seed. Ultimately, we slowly grow and then what happens to us? We go on identifying ourselves with the Bhoomi earth then identify with the cause of the earth which is water, which is subtler, which is more pervasive and which has much more freedom than solid earth. Then we become fire. Then we become air. Finally, we become Akasha, space and ultimately we realize our true nature. This is the process of spiritual growth if we analyze it properly. That's why space is considered nothing but Akasha Linga. Shiva is worshipped as Akasha Linga. By the way, Linga means that which indicates, look here, you are not an ordinary human being, you are none other than Shiva. Every Jeeva is not a Jeeva, he is Shiva but Shiva covered with limitations of Ahankara, manifesting in the form of my body and my mind. If we can overcome that, every body is my body, every mind is my mind, me and then he attains to that Shivatva, Lingam. That which points out to infinity. Being finite, it indicates the infinity. That's why it is called Linga. So coming back, here is a seed and what happens? When the right soil, right climate and right environment is provided, it becomes Ankura, a small seedling. Even at the stage of seedling, it is very difficult. If you put two separate species of mangoes side by side, one gives yields sweet fruits, another not so sweet or even sour mangoes, even at this stage of seedling, it is impossible for us to understand it. So like that we are all seeds, each soul but is a potential seed of nothing but divinity. Ultimately, we have to manifest. We have to manifest, we must manifest and no power on earth is going to hinder us. But then what about this Maya? Why am I taking such a long time going on talking about this? Because we are going to differ from the traditional Advaitic vision of Advaitic explanation of Mayavada. Even while we are discussing Shankara's own compositions. These are wonderful compositions but hidden, there are certain very limited ideas, I would say even fanatical ideas. Maya, that's in this verse itself, we are going to talk about it. According to Shankara, Maya is that thing which prevents us from knowing what we are. According to Sri Ramakrishna, Maya is not a deluding power but a revealing power which is gradually taking our hand, the hand of a baby like a divine mother who gives birth, who sustains and then slowly takes us to our real nature. There is a school of philosophy called Sankhya and we were all studying that one when we were in our training center and then there at the end of this, Eswara Krishna tells in the Sankhya Karika, like a loving mother, this what is called Prakruti takes every baby and makes him grow in the right way, sometimes rewarding and encouraging, sometimes punishing and correcting and slowly in the end, she takes us to the Purusha and says, my child, I do not belong to you, you belong to the other house which belongs to the Purusha. Really you are the Purusha. This is the view developed in Tantras. This is the view accepted by Sri Ramakrishna. That's why, This is a beautiful hymn. I had explained it earlier. So the divine mother is the auspiciousness in every auspiciousness and according to this understanding, even what we call inauspiciousness is nothing but pure auspiciousness. How can it be? Because when a mother punishes a baby or a child, she doesn't do it out of vengeance. It doesn't delude. She doesn't deny. But she prepares the child for a better state and all this training is for that purpose. This was the view that has taken by the holy mother. That's why he worshipped holy mother. So this is the view we are going to take it. Let us keep this in mind. If we want to understand the real meaning of this Dakshinamurthy Stotram purely from the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, holy mother and Swami Vivekananda and that's why this is called Neo Vedanta. Neo Vedanta is not a new Vedanta but a right understanding of Vedanta. An incarnation of God doesn't come to delude us, to limit us unlike so many Acharyas. An Acharya by implication is a person who is called Ekadeshiya. He is a fanatic in English language. He only wants to propagate one particular school whereas our Acharyendra, Jagatguru, he wants to help every school, Hindu, non-Hindu, Indian, non-Indian, the whole world. An incarnation doesn't come for a few people and what is his view? Everything that happens in life is for good and slowly it takes us but we have to take shelter in the divine mother. That's why Sri Ramakrishna many times he points out but one particular place he emphasizes that my children that even meditation is within the realm of the divine Maya only. So you do Sravana, you do Manana, you do Nidhidhyasana. That is also in the realm of the Vedanta only or in Mahamaya only but this Mahamaya is not there for deluding. She is ever waiting, eagerly waiting. When does my child awake and when is he going to turn towards me? What does it mean? It means having faith in the scriptures and following the teachings of the scriptures with the strictest stipulation so that we will not deviate. Like Sita, she deviated from the Lakshmana Rekha. Lakshmana Rekha is called Dharma Rekha. He protected Sita, wanted to protect Sita. He drew a line and said do not step beyond this but that's why Ramanasura being adharmic he could not enter into that circle but he tempted Sita the Jeevatma to go outside and immediately she was caught. Had she remained and said if you are a true sannyasin why are you fearing? He fears because adharma can never become friends with dharma. That's why he could not stand but he tempted her. No, it is your dharma. So she should have said my dharma is to follow dharma so please come inside the house and I want to entertain you and this whole Ramayana would not have been there and today I would not have been able to cite. Thanks to this Maya, I was able to cite this one. We just say Yava Ankuru when the same seed is sown in the proper soil which is called Dharmakshetra when it is sown Kurukshetra then what happens Jagadidam Praak Nirvikalpa Praak means before it manifested. Remember, let us remember creation is not a new thing that is created. In Vedantic terminology creation means from the non-manifest things become manifest from the manifest things become again non-manifest. This is one is called birth, another is called death. There is no travel from non-existence to existence and again from existence to non-existence that is irrational. Praak means before the manifestation Nirvikalpa Vikalpa means the ability to see everything as different the root, the trunk, the branches, the leaves and the blossoms, the fruits, everything crystal clearly. So when we look at a seed we will never be able to make indistinguishable complete whole is called Nirvikalpa. Punaha, again and again. Punaha means again but here punaha means deep idea again, again means what? Again and again and again. So what happens? Maya Kalpita because of the creation creation means bringing something into manifestation bringing the one making it appear as many that is called Maya and because of the Kalpita means the power of Maya that's why we say Kalpana. Kalpana means imagination. Imagination is nothing but a thought in our mind in a different form. If I see a wood or if a sculptor sees a piece of stone and he can have a billion imaginations it could be a tree, it could be an old man it could be an image of God, it could be anything he wants. His imagination is his limit. So this Maya, what does it do? Maya Kalpita and this Maya brings that one and makes it appear as though it is infinite. The infinity is made to get divided into many and how many? Because infinite can only be infinite. The best example is if you have got four big mirrors covering all the four sides of your room and then you look at any side infinite number of your reflections will be there whichever side you turn. Can you count? Are they 100? Are they 200? They are infinite. You the one appear to be many and that mirror is here taken as Maya and how does Maya really work? Desha, it creates space. Kala, it creates time and then what does it do? Kalana, Kalana means variegated. Vaichitriya, Chitri Kritham you know that one object is made to be into infinite number of things different sizes, different shapes, different colours different purposes, infinite number of things. Vaichitriya means it's impossible for a human being only possible for Ishwara. Chitri Kritham as if some great painter is going on doing it. This word painter is a very interesting word. Swami Vivekananda talking about the fanaticism of other religions he says every religion is but a small page in the poetry written by Ishwara and only a few pages of poetry have been written by him. There are infinite number of pages that yet he has to present in front of us. That was the idea we get in the Shiva Mahayana Stotram that even if Saraswati takes up a huge pen and this earth itself is the paper and the waters of the ocean is the ink and she goes on trying to describe Shiva for how long? That ananta kala then she will not be able to come to an end because infinity can never be described. Who is writing? Maya. Who is creating? Maya. And this Maya is a Shakti and it is done with a mind, divine mind. If there is a mind, mind is inert. There must be a conscious being who is wielding who is controlling, who is using this mind and who is that? He is called Mayavi. This word Mayavi also brings lot of unpleasant negative associations. We are going to describe about it, deal with it later on. Iva. Iva means as if. This is another Advaitic word. As if he is born. So as if the lord is doing something even though he is not doing. If you ask electricity why are you burning my hand? And then electricity will say first of all what is burning? You ask fire why are you burning my hand? And the fire will be extremely surprised what is burning because the fire will never know what is called burning. If it knows what is burning then fire is different from burning. If light knows it is illuminating things then the light doesn't know that it illuminates because illuminating is another name for light. Burning is another name for fire. So the fire will be surprised. He says I am burning power but what is burning power? Why do you say? After all I am burning. So why do you say I am burning? As if you are different. As if you go to the sun and say good morning the sun will never understand. So he says what is good? What is morning? There is no morning. There is no evening. There is no night. There is no time when the sun is getting up in the morning. It is only from our viewpoint. This whole universe springs up spontaneously. So mayavi vijrumbhayati means in all its glory like the big bang that is the apt word for us from the point of singularity as if there is a big bang and the scientists tell us even now we can hear the sound of that big bang in the power of some subtle voice. In fact, they made us also hear that one by projecting it through an amplifier. Of course, we will not be able to understand it. Who is doing it? Only a great yogi can do it because who has got the biggest mind? Only a great yogi. Who is that great yogi? Called Ishwara. And why does he do it? Not because of some compulsion. So by his own sweet will. Does he have any motivation? Does he get bored because he is alone? No. He is the very nature of Sat, Chit and Ananda. In fact, he is beyond time and space. So we have to clarify many of our ideas. Beyond time is not a long time. Eternity is not a long time. Eternity means the person is not aware of anything else excepting only self-awareness is there. That is totally different. When we are aware of ourselves, we are aware of our body, aware of our mind, aware of the entire world. When a yogi is aware that it cannot be described in words, just as you try to describe what is called deep sleep to a person who doesn't know what is called deep sleep. Out of his own sweet will. It's a beautiful Bengali song. I have perhaps not come across such a beautifully expressed song. It's called Brahmo Sangeet. That is this You are playing. Anamone. Just as a child plays with sand, plays with marbles, you are playing. And who is controlling you? Are there rules? There are no rules, no regulations, no motivation. Simply a baby is absorbed. And then what are you doing? You are creating, you are maintaining, you are destroying. Anamone. As if by play. There is this. This one had been beautifully sung by many people, especially one particular version by Anoop Jalota. How many worlds? Every millisecond, billisecond, you are creating, destroying, creating, destroying. And this was visualized by Sri Ramakrishna one day on the banks of the Ganga. The Divine Mother appeared, the most beautiful young woman. Presently she was with a child. She gave birth to the child. She suckled the child. Next moment, she absorbed that child into herself and then disappeared. How many universes? With every passing millisecond are coming into existence, going out of existence. We can also understand this one. So there are billions and billions of countless living things, microbes and all those things. These things, they are coming, they will be there for a millisecond and then they disappear. For each of those living creatures, that is a world all its own. Every millisecond, how many beings are manifesting and going into non-manifestation. But we have to remember behind it, that brilliant all-pervading light, Atma Jyoti, coming out and going inside. So Mahayogiva, like the greatest yogi, Svechaya, by his own sweet will, who is creating this entire universe, creating himself, Tasmai Sri Gurumurthaye Namahidam Sri Dakshinamurthaye My salutations again and again to that Dakshinamurthy, to that creator of this entire brahmandas, Anantakoti brahmandas, who is manifesting to me individually in the form of my own guru, who has taken my hand and then he is taking me along with him to make me reach my own nature as if I am traveling a long distance. Time, space and causation do not work here. So this is what we have to understand in the second one. Now we will go. There are something called Mahavakya. Mahavakya always indicates the absolute oneness of the individual soul and then the universal soul. Jivatma, Paramatma, Aikyam and there are four important Mahavakyas selected because there are four Vedas are there. So from Rig Veda, we take from the Aitareya Upanishad Prajnanam Brahma From Yajur Veda, from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, we take Aham Brahmasmi. Incidentally, all the monks of the Ramakrishna order, all the devotees of the Ramakrishna order, for us the Mahavakya is Aham Brahmasmi. From Samaveda Chandukya Upanishad, Tattvamasi Shweta Keto that is the Mahavakya and from the Atharvana Veda, Mandukya Upanishad, I am Atma Brahma. Though there are hundreds, thousands of Mahavakyas, not one, any shloka, any mantra, mantra means Upanishadic teachings are called mantras and non-Upanishadic or it is Bhagavad Gita, Mahabharata, Puranas, Tantras etc. They are called just ordinary shlokas. Shloka means non-Upanishadic scriptures. Mantra means Upanishadic scriptures. This is the difference that is there. Of all these four Mahavakyas, of all the hundreds of Mahavakyas, these four have been chosen and why? Who has chosen it? Shankaracharya has chosen it. Why did he choose it? Because he had four disciples and he was a very intelligent Indian. He knew the nature of the Indians. No two disciples will ever cooperate with each other. So he divided the whole of India into four parts and established four Advaitic centers and each one he said don't, that you only preach to that in that particular area. Don't come into conflict with the others. So one one Veda he has given to one one disciple and then from each one these four Mahavakyas are given. This is for the initiation of the disciples by whoever is the head of this each one of these centers and we of the Ramakrishna order belong to this Sringeri Matha. That is why ours is Yajur Veda, ours is Aham Brahmasmi and even though you are devotees you are supposed to say Aham Brahmasmi. Aham Brahmasmi means Oh Lord, I am Brahman. I am Ramakrishna. I belong to you because you are my mother, you are my father, Sarvam, everything you are Mama Sarvam, Tvameva. So you are everything for me. So we have to identify ourselves. Whenever you have to repeat this Aham Brahmasmi even though you have not been initiated but every time you say Aham Brahmasmi I belong to you. I belong to you. I belong to you. This is what you have to tell. Obeisance, my salutations to him Sri Dakshinamurthy who is again manifesting in the form of my own Guru who out of his free will as Ishwara like a musician or a great yogi manifests this world which was before creation. Creation means unmanifested state in an undifferentiated form even as the sprout is seen within the seed and becomes variegated later on on account of its association with space and time brought forth by that indescribable power called Maya. In the second verse Shankaracharya is dealing with the meaning of the word Tatpadartha Tat means that Brahman. How is he dealing? Because when we look at any object in this world that is called object. Object is something which is experienced, perceived, seen, observed, witnessed by a conscious being that is called an object and that conscious person being is called the subject. When we look at any object every object must have a minimum of two causes. Let us analyze those who have been hearing me they should know by this time that I have dealt with this many times. For example, here is a table or here is a bangle golden bangle. Now that is an object. Now this object called table let us focus upon it it must have at least minimum two causes. What are they? A carpenter an intelligent being who takes up what is called a wooden piece and then shapes it into a table. The material cause is called wood in this instance and the intelligent cause is called the carpenter. I mentioned other cause other instruments what is it? A hammer and a saw a planer a polisher etc. These are called instrumental cause. Intelligent cause in Vedanta is called nimitta karana because a pot is not made by itself. A table a wood doesn't make itself into a table. Gold doesn't make itself into an ornament. It doesn't even know I am gold and for all purposes these inert beings are like realized souls because they don't know the distinction between I am wood I am mud and I am this gold I am the silver etc. So there are two causes minimum. What are the causes? Nimitta karana and Upadana karana. There is no exception in this world. Every object that we see has got a must have these two causes that is fine. This is an example but then you take the whole world Jagat as one object then what is the nimitta karana? Before this world was created who was there? By implication only God is there. So there are no divisions in God. This is the material God and this is the intelligent God. That division is possible only after creation. Before creation it is not possible. So we have to understand the being who created this universe because universe is an object every object must be created by somebody from a specific material. This is the normal role with regard to every object in this world. But if we take the whole universe as one single object then the only being before its creation is called God or Vidhata Srishti Karta Eshwara Divine Mother whatever name you want to give. Now how many Gods are there? There cannot be one material God one intelligent God. There must be only by definition God means only one. If God is one He must be the only material He must be the only intelligent cause. That is what this particular verse wants to remind us. But what we have to understand is that these two causes are both only God. Nimitta Karana Upadana Karana Therefore the creator of this entire universe is called Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karana He is undifferentiated both the intelligent cause as well as the material cause. That's why when is a funny example here is a table and you like it very much or I will vary this time the example is the ugliest table that you have ever come. Immediately you want to scold and beat that carpenter. So what do you do? Who is that rogue that idiot who created this table? That means what? The creator intelligent cause is totally different from the material cause. If you want to search for the intelligent cause you may see him you may not see him or he might have died also. But if you are searching for the material cause where are you looking? For the material cause you don't need to go in search of anywhere. The moment you are looking at the table you are looking at the wood. That means if God is the material cause and you are looking at any object in this world what are you really looking at? Only God. That's why in the Vishnu Sahasranama the very first name is Vishwam because we start our spiritual practice only through Vishwam not through Vishnu. Just as we have a think every thinking being here is a table who made this one? So we are if you don't know the material cause what is this made out of? What is the material out of which it is made? These are the two questions inevitably that arise in our mind. When we look at this world what is the material cause and who is the intelligent cause? Our this answer we can never get from any worldly knowledge from the what is called knowledge of the five sense organs and therefore we have to look for an answer only scriptures can give the answer and the scripture is called Veda or Bible or Koran or Tripitaka whatever it is and what does it say? There is an infinite being because everything is finite. The finite things cannot come from finiteness. All finite things must come only from infinite things. I hope you understand the logic. Here is a table. Table cannot come from a finite object because if it is infinite if the cause is infinite then the effect also will be infinite. So if the table has come from infinite then the table will be infinite that means you can't even call it a table or a chair. This is the beautiful logic you have to understand but we see a table we see a chair we see an almirah we see a door we see a wooden floor etc. etc. besides many other things that means these are all finite things but all finite things put together is called infinite and that infinite must be God only. This is the first logic we have to understand God is both the material as well as intelligent cause of this universe. Now what are the instruments? The instrument says a carpenter requires instruments a goldsmith requires instrument every scientist requires a laboratory a microscope a telescope and chemicals so many other things depending upon the subject but what instruments does God require? That's why it is said by his very sankalpa by his very will that's why he is called Sathya Kamaha Sathya Sankalpa just by his interest just by thought he thought and it came and today's talk I will close with this example once Swami Vivekananda was having a talk with his disciple Sharath Chandra Chakravarti and then this topic came that Brahma created this entire thing then the disciple naturally what are the instruments what is the material and what are the instruments Swamiji said Brahma doesn't require any material because he is the material Brahma doesn't require any instruments because if Brahma says let there be a cow there will be a cow let there be human being there will be human being by his very will why? because he is then the disciple naturally says if I say a cow and then nothing comes out of it a table nothing comes out of it Swamiji said that is because you have never observed truthfulness that is why your mind has become contaminated full of untruth what is full of untruth? to think this world alone is real the unchanging the changing world is the unchanging that is the logical contradiction if you are rooted in this truth of the world you will have to work for it but you won't be able to create but then Swamiji at that point didn't give the example and that is the example we have got in the first verse here what is it? every day by your will you are creating the entire dream world are you not Srishti Karta? because you the one the waker could create this entire world by your mere thought why do you think Ishwara could not create this variegated world? the only difference is when you create you suffer because of your own creation when Brahma creates it is called Leela Brahma Leela this is the difference these beautiful ideas are there we will discuss it in our next class Om Jananim Sharadaam Deivim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padmetayoh Sritva Pranamami Muhur Muhuhu May Ramakrishna Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti