Svetasvatara Upanishad Lecture 30 on 11 June 2023

In our last class yesterday we have been talking about the 18th mantra where the highest supreme reality is being described. If a person realizes what type of state is it that he experiences that is being described here. It is a continuation of practically this entire fourth chapter. I would say even majority of the this Shwetashvatara Upanishad. The 18th mantra goes like this. Yadah Atamasah Tamastat Na Diva Na Ratrihi Na Sat Na Cha Asat Shivaha Eva Kevalaha Tad Aksharam Tat Saviturvarenyam Pragnach Tasmat Prasrutah Purani When ignorance is dispelled, there is neither day nor night, neither being nor non-being. There is only that auspicious one Shivaha who is imperishable, Aksharaha and who is worthy of being adored by the creator. Tat Saviturvarenyam From him has proceeded the ancient wisdom. Two or three beautiful facts are being explained to us in this 18th. Let us first take the analogy of sleep. As we all know each prani, living creature whether it is a man, mice, mosquito, every creature goes through these three states waking, dream as well as dreamless state. Now in the waking state as well as in the dream state we can experience and we do experience and we have to experience dualities. Why? Let us not forget that fundamental fact that if we are unaware of night we will not know what day is. If we are not aware of male we will not know what female is. If we are unaware of unhappiness we will not know what happiness is. This is the very constitution of our mind and we are experiencing everything through the mind. The experiencer, participator is the Chidavasa, reflected consciousness plus our body plus mind. That is called Jivatma. So during the waking, during the dream. Inevitably we experience day and night, cold and heat, good and evil, life and death, happiness and unhappiness, everything. But even when we are asleep, we are not aware there is a day and there is a night, there is happiness, unhappiness, good and evil, none of that sort is experienced because there is no division between the experiencer and the experienced. The subject and object division where it doesn't exist, the question of duality doesn't exist at all. But what happens to our sleep? It comes to an end, then back to square one. But when a person what we call enters into Nirvikalpa Samadhi and first of all it is a permanent state. Once a person enters there is no question of losing it. So that state is being described here and what happens in that state? There is no devotee, deity. There is no worshipper, worshipped. That duality is gone. There is no Jeevatma, Paramatma. That division is not there. That is being described here. Because earlier it is said when God is pleased then when we surrender ourselves to Him through His grace He reveals the truth that there is no difference between Him and us. That is called destruction of the Ajnana. What is Ajnana? That there is a difference between God and me, me and other people and me and the world. Ishwara, Jeeva, Jagat everything is different from everything else. But when this realization comes all the differences will vanish. And to be a little more technical what we call Vijatiya Veda, Sajjatiya Veda and also Swagata Veda. Internal differences, differences between two species and difference between different species. Everything will disappear. Now let us look at this Yada. That means in that state of realization, Atamasaha, there would be no darkness. Remember if we are not aware of darkness we won't even be aware of light. That means when there is no Ajnana we will not even remember what is called Jnanam. Remember in the Gospel of Ramakrishna there was a conversation. Ram and Lakshmana once found Vasishta who was a householder who had children and probably one of his children died. And Vasishta was grief stricken and Lakshmana was shocked, surprised and shocked. So he says, brother what is this? Vasishta is such a great man and still he is grieving. Then Rama smiles and says that so long as there is knowledge there will be ignorance also. So to go beyond both knowledge and ignorance that is called Nirvikalpa. There is no Vikalpa. Vikalpa means duality, manyness. It disappears. Let us remember that. So Yada, when that highest supreme is realized, then what we call Nirvikalpa Samadhi is achieved. Atamasaha, that means it is pure consciousness. Then in that state, Tat na diva na ratri, there is neither day nor night. In fact, very interesting expression. What is day and night? Night is when I cannot see, when I cannot get knowledge of the world. And daytime means I get wrong knowledge. So daytime, I get wrong knowledge because I can see. Nighttime, I won't get any knowledge because I cannot see anything. So both states have no merit at all. But in this state of realization, the man becomes fully enlightened. Enlightened about what? About himself. I am pure consciousness because there is no second. I am Advaita, I am Shashvata, I am Purna, I am Ananta, I am unborn. Unborn means not subjected to creation and dissolution. That is what is told. And even can we say I exist? When do we say we exist? Let us take a small example. So you see a person is an old man. Let us take as an example, old man. And what do you say? There is an old man. That means an old man exists there because I experience, I perceive that person. And after some time, he is dead. So this also, I cannot see at that time. He is not there. He is there, he was there, he is not there. This is the day when we know about life, we know about death. When we know about death, we know about life. But when there is something pure existence, na sat na asat, neither existence nor non-existence. That is being said, na sat, na cha asat. Then what remains there? Shiva kevalaha ekaha. There will be only Shiva. Shiva means what? Auspicious one. Brahman, not your Pauranic Shiva, Pauranic Narayana, Vedantic Shiva. Means it is not a person, it is pure auspiciousness. Why is it called auspiciousness? Paramananda swaroopa, kevalaha. That is why the attainment of the highest reality is called Kaivalya. There is a beautiful book, Kaivalya Namanitam, Shivaha Eva. Shivoham, Shivoham. Mano buddhyahankara chitta ninaham. That is the experience. Tat aksharam, and that is imperishable. Because perishable and imperishable, both are concepts. Actually imperishable means avyakta. Aksharam means perishable. That means vyakta. So a person is there, you say he is there, sat. This is called aksharam. But when you say that person is dead, aksharam. But these are concepts in the mind, thoughts in the mind. But the real one, that cannot be described. The whole gist is we cannot describe. Then how do we know what is good? Shivaha, kevalaha. You will be ananda swaroopa. And that's what you want. And you will know no death. You become amruta. That is what is said. Tat savituhu parenyam. Tat means that supreme reality, in the Gayatri mantra we get Tat savituhu parenyam, Bhargo devasya dhimahi, Dhyo yonah prachodayat. Savituhu means the creator. Parenyam, that is only He is the supreme being, pure consciousness, called Brahman also. And how do we know? This is knowledge. To know the highest reality in that way is called knowledge. But even that knowledge, where from is it coming? Tat prajnacha, even that supreme knowledge, real knowledge. Tasmat eva, only from Him it is coming. And when? Purani prashruta, from time without beginning. So where there is God, there is knowledge. And that knowledge is coming. And millions of people had become blessed by experiencing that one. But what I wanted to draw our attention, that there is, it is beyond darkness. That is what we say, Shrunvantu vishwe amrutasya putraaha, tamevam vidhitva atim rutyum eti. Only by knowing Him, one becomes really immortal. And it is also beyond all darkness. But what is its nature? Na sat na asat. And that is what I wanted to enjoy. Let us enjoy. Where Swami Vivekananda was very fond of another Rig Vedic expression in seven mantras. That is called na satiya suptam. Na asat, that is, is it sat? No. Is it asat? No. Then what is it? It is beyond description. That is what is called na satiya suptam. Seven mantras are there. I am not going to quote every mantra. But just as a sample and the very first one. And Swami Vivekananda was very fond. You know what happened once? It was midnight. Mahapurush Maharaj was not able to get sleep. And he called his attendant and said, So you read to me, chant to me that na satiya suptam. And immediately he entered into a deep state. This is how it goes. Na sat asit, no sat asit, tadanim, na asit rajo, no vyoma paro yat. Kim avarivah, avarivah, kuhakasya sharman ambah. Kim asit gahanam gabhiram. Then even nothingness was not, not to speak of something, nothing was not there, nor existence. There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it. What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping was it there? Was there cosmic water in depths? Anfatam, kim asit, gahanam, gabhiram. Then the second mantra goes like this. Namrutyu asit, amrutam na tarhi, na ratriya, annaha asit, prakshetraha, anid avatam, swadhayat adekam, tasmat anyat na paraha, kincha na asa. Then there was neither death nor immortality, nor was there then a torch of night and day, the one breathed windlessly and self-sustaining. There was that one then and there was no other. Then comes, Swami Vivekananda was very fond of this. Tama asitu tamasa udham agriye, apakshetram salilam sarvama idam, tuche nabhya pehitam, idasit tapasaha tan mahina jayatha ekam. At first there was only darkness, covered in darkness. All this was only anilu-mind water. That one which came to be enclosed in nothing, arose at last, born of the power of heat. This is enough. What does it mean? Very simple. It is indescribable. And sometimes when we say doubts will come, that which is indescribable, because we think everything can be described. There is nothing which cannot be described, if it is experienced. And it is true also, because whatever is experienced can be told, there is something, I have experienced it, it consists of. Always knowledge is conveyed to the unknown, through the known. What was that? Oh, that was a flower. Oh, we all know flowers. We don't know that particular flower, but we know some flower, many flowers. Oh, it is a flower. It belongs to a species called flower. And we know petals. And it has got only three petals. Understandable. Imaginable. And what colour? There is something between pink and red. Oh, reddish pink. Imaginable. And does it have fragrance? Yes. It is a peculiar fragrance. It is pleasant. I cannot describe it. Oh, that is also understandable, imaginable. So this is how we describe. And all these things are functions of the mind. Functions of the mind. But where there is no mind, where there is no second object, and to whom is it going to be described? Who is going to describe it? What are the instruments of description? Remember, description is always for the sake of conveying knowledge to somebody else. Imagine you are alone and you have experienced something marvellous, but there is nobody around. What are you going to do? You will not even try to describe it. You will just enjoy it. That is the condition. No, I feel like sharing it with somebody. That is because in the past you have some people, in the future you are expecting some people, somebody to shout it, to describe. But if you are alone, never saw another human being, there is no question of the impulse even to describe will not arise. Anyway, this is enough and that is what we also have to know. Existence was not then, nor non-existence, the world was not, the sky beyond was neither, what covered the mist, of whom was that, who was in the depths of darkness thick, death was not then, nor immortality, the light was neither separate from day, but motionless did that vibrate. Alone with its own glory, one beyond that, nothing did exist. This is just a sample I wanted to share with you. This is the translation of Swami Vivekananda, the complete works, volume 6, page 178. So what happens when the light of knowledge comes? It removes all darkness of ignorance. What is the nature of ignorance? Duality. What is the destruction of ignorance? Absence of duality. When there is no duality, subject-object division is not there. Who is going to describe to whom and through what instrument? Because it is the mind which creates subject-object. It is the mind which has the instrument to describe it. This is tall, this is round, this is fragrant, this is cool, this is beautiful, etc. But then we may not have any idea about that reality. But Shivaha Kevalaha is nothing but Shivaha. Then what is the relationship between that one and this universe? Tat Savitho Ho Varenyam. That He is the procreator. Procreator means always remember. It is not like a potter creating a pot. But it is like clay being called a pot because of a particular shape. That is what we have to see. And all knowledge stems from Him, comes from Him. Mandukopanishad says Brahma was the first person who obtained that knowledge and he propagated it through his disciples. And then those disciples propagated it to other people. So that immutable Brahman is totally incomprehensible to the finite mind. Being one and without a second, He has no fear. Brahman's glory consists in His being unaffected by time and space. And anything beyond time and space is indescribable. That is an important point. That is why the devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, every day they sing in the Avatara Stotram, the very first stotram. Namo Namo Prabho Vakyamana Ateetha Mana Vachana Ek Athar The mind functions, the speech functions, the activities stem because of Him. But Him, the mind cannot think much less the speech can describe and much less can we experience it as we experience as an object. And yet whatever we are experiencing is nothing but Brahman. But who is the experiencer? That is also Brahman. That is why I reminded you, Swami Brahmanandaji was about to pass away and He was suffering from intense diabetes. And He was very very thirsty. Then somebody prepared, it was summer, prepared some lemonade. And they said, Maharaj, lemonade. He was always in a state of Samadhi just before passing away. He had marvelous visions. He had the vision of Krishna in the form of Ramakrishna, my Krishna of Ramakrishna. He is calling me, I am coming my Krishna, I am coming my Krishna. He was in that state for three days and nights. And yet when the doctor said, Maharaj, would you like to have some lemonade? He opened his mouth and said, pour Brahman into Brahman. But even in that state, He called His attendants and blessed them that may you all attain the supreme reality. And He said, I can see my disciples like Swami Prabhavananda who was in America, what they are doing now. I bless all of them whether they are able to come or not able to come for whatever reason. And then He passed away. I am the eternal companion of Krishna. Krishna is calling me. And Sri Ramakrishna's prediction had come true. At the moment, Maharaj knows who He is. He will refuse to stay here even for a second. Same thing Sri Ramakrishna predicted of Narendra Maharaj also. We will proceed further. Not very difficult, but same idea is being repeated. And it will be repeated in every Upanishad. Until our realization is complete, this should be the central point of our thoughts. Mantra 9, number 19. Nayanam Udhvam Na Tiryancham Namadhye Na Parijagrabhat Na Tasya Pratimah Asti Yasyanama Mahadeshah No one can grasp Him above, across or in the middle. There is no likeness of Him. His name is Great Glory. God cannot be grasped. Why? Yato Acho Nivartante Aprapya Manasa Saha The mind is limited. God is unlimited. Therefore, the limited can never grasp the unlimited. That is the meaning of Na Parijagrabhat. Impossible to grasp. That is because He is ingraspable. And Kena Upanishad goes into ecstasy, telling that the eyes cannot see Him, ears cannot hear Him. All the five sense organs cannot experience Him. Even the mind is beyond the mind, beyond the buddhi, beyond everything that we know. But He sees without eyes. He hears without ears. All those things, beautiful descriptions are there. That is being said here. Na Enam Urdhvam Parijagrabha Nobody can grasp Him. That He is above, He is across, He is in the middle, He is below, He is in front, He is in the back, He is on the left side, He is on the right side. No. And even if you experience Him, you cannot describe Him because Tasya Pratimah Na Asti There is no way, because if anything has a form, then we can describe. But that which is formless, for example, you try to meditate upon the Akasha. That is a substitute for meditation on Parabrahman. What is our concept of Akasha? Nothing. Because that is called emptiness. Our meditation is also pure emptiness. Meditate on emptiness. There is no need. We are experts upon it. So the moment you try, immediately you experience pure emptiness. That means there is nothing is now. So Akasha Dhyana. But Yasya Nama Mahadhyasaha So wherever you see something is existing, that is He. Somebody is speaking, that is He. Somebody is seeing, that is He. That is whatever we see. Earlier we have seen. So Tvam Puman, Tvam Stri, Tvam Kumaraha, Utava Kumari or you are an old man, that is you are shaking all over and somehow tottering along with the help of a stick. Everything that we see, not only human being. We can see a young dog. We can see an old dog. We can see a diseased dog. Anything that we can see. That which cannot move. That is everything is He. The whole universe is there. Why? Because God is beyond space. Therefore He has no front, no back, no above, no below, no left, no right. Remember in the 11th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna requested the Lord I want to see your universal form. And He said you cannot see through these ordinary eyes. Devyam Dada Mite Chakshuhu Pashyame Yogam Aishwaram And then Arjuna lost what you call all his bearings because cosmic form. Where is He? Lord, I do not understand which is the beginning, which is the middle or which is the end of this cosmic form. Physically, nobody can grasp God. And intellectually, no one can comprehend Him as He is infinite. I remember a very beautiful funny story. There was a great devotee of Bhagawan Krishna, a Brahmana. He used to recite this Bhagavad Gita every day. And he remembered this one that I cannot grasp. And he was struggling and struggling and struggling what it would be like. And he was very poor. Then you see he had only one wearing cloth. And in the course of time, years and years afterwards, it became very holy. And then the borders have gone, above has gone, below has gone. And one day he was taking bath. After bath bathing, he got hold of this piece of cloth. And he wanted to put it. He was trying to find out where is the beginning, where is the end, where is the middle. And then he understood, Oh Lord, all this time I did not understand what is the meaning of that verse. But now, Now I understand crystal clearly. Thank you for making me understand through this holy cloth. But the same fact because Bhagawan is poor now. What does this scripture want to tell us? Because you fool, if you are separate from God, then God also will be separate. If you think you are limited, God also will be limited because you will be limiting God. I hope you are getting the point. Here is infinite and by the side of the infinite, I am existing. Such a thing is a foolish concept. If there are two things, both are finite. One makes the other finite. So what happens? When a person attains to that Purnaswaroopam, it is impossible. That is what in human language, for an unenlightened person, the Chandogya Upanishad wants to confirm exactly the same thing that we saw earlier. This is the strength of the Chandogya Upanishad, 15th section. Second mantra. What does it mean? This is the instruction on the Self. The Self is below, the Self is above, the Self is behind, the Self is in front, the Self is to the right, to the left. The Self in fact is all this. He who realizes this way by thinking Shravana, Malana, Nididhyasana and realizes in this way, he loves the Self, he sports with the Self, enjoys the company of the Self and has joy in the Self. This is what Vaikunanda found in Sri Ramakrishna. When nobody was there, he used to be Atmarama. That is being described here, Atmarate, Atmakridaha, Atmamidhunaha, Atmanandaha Swarad. In five marvellous words, the state of a Jivanmukta or a person who attained oneness with the Supreme Brahman is being described here. Such people, they become the Self and they always are merged in Paramananda. What about those who did not, but those who think otherwise? That means God is separate, I am separate and I am under the control of others. Such people remain in the worlds they live in. That is those who are in the Bhuloka, they will be human beings. Those who are in the heavens, they are called Gods, but the condition is exactly the same. They cannot move about, they are not free as they like, they cannot obtain anything. That means they are completely under the sway of limitation. Maya means limitation. Maya work, as we all know, familiar with, with two powers, Avarna Shakti and Dikshepa Shakti. And this is beautifully illustrated. There is a beautiful story, Puranic story, I don't know where it comes. Once there was an argument between Brahma and Vishnu. I am great, I am great. So what does it show? It shows that even Saguna Brahma can have a lot of quarrels. What is that guna? Quarreling guna, that is called. So they got, so how to find out? So Shiva wanted to enlighten them. So naturally, a Shiva Bhakta has created this story to denigrate both Vishnu and Brahma. So Shiva resumed the form of a huge pillar of light. And then now a commandment came, find out who he who can measure how big it is. He will be the greatest among both of you. So Brahma went up and then he could not find the end. He told a lie. Brahma told a lie, I found out the uppermost limit of this Shiva Jyoti. Vishnu went down, he could not. He was humbler and he said I could not fathom the very bottom of it. So Shiva came and cursed Brahma and he blessed Vishnu. This is always the story. Brahma and Vishnu will be blessing Shiva. Shiva will be blessing their chums. Sometimes though they quarrel, but mostly their devotees quarrel with each other. The monkeys and then the demons. Their quarrels never come to an end. That is what Shri Ramakrishna beautifully explains. So the point is God is incomparable, incomprehensible. That is the idea. Because He is Ananta and He is incomparable. Ananta cannot be compared with anybody. There is a beautiful saying in Sanskrit language. So how is the war, the battle between Rama and Ravana? Rama Ravana Yoho Yudham, Rama Ravana Yoho Yudham Yatha. So the battle between Rama and Ravana is like the battle between Rama and Ravana. That means you cannot explain it, if you can understand, understand it like that. So God is incomparable. Natasya Prathima Asti. You cannot represent it. But for the sake of our understanding, out of His infinite mercy, He as if assumes the form of Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus etc. according to one's liking. And that is for the sake of Upasana. But we must transcend both and become one. Only when we become one, we know what we are, what God is. Because I and Brahman are one and the same. That is why Yasyanama Mahadeshaha. All glory belongs only to God. That is why if somebody is having some special talent, it is nothing but God. That is why everybody has to bow down only to that Divine Lord. That is why Arjuna says, after seeing the Vishwaroopa, Aneka Bahudhara Vatra Netram Pasyamitvam Sarvatah Anantaroopam Nantam Namadyam Na Punah Tava Adim Pasyami Vishveshwara Vishwaroopa I do not see the end of it. So then the question comes, has anybody perceived God? What do you mean by perceiving? That is a very important point. What do you mean by perceiving? We say, you see somebody, then you compare the other person. So the second person is black, this person is brown, the other person is white. Like that only you compare. Another person is tall, another person is short. So this person has got a middle height. So one person is very fat. Yesterday I told you, Ram and Krishna were Ajahn Bahu. Why? Because he can embrace even the fattest devotee. Because fat people alone can become devotees. Because they have got a lot of fat to melt. And the only way they become fat is sit down and go on taking the name of God. And then they get first class prasadam like Tirupati laddus. And then what is the result? Fat. And God cannot help but embrace. So to cover that fatness, He must require Ajahn Bahum Aravinda Dalayat Aksham. That is the 20th mantra is telling, na sandrushet ishtati roopamasya na chakshusha pashyati kashchana enam hridah hridistam manasaya enam evam viduhu amrutah te bhavante His form doesn't stand within the range of the senses. No one perceives Him with the eye. Those who know Him through the faculty of purified buddhi called intuition as seated in their own heart. Such a person realizes Him, becomes one with Him and becomes immortal. na sandrushet ishtati roopamasya What does it mean? It means the formless one can never be seen through the eye. But the same one for the sake of us takes infinite number of forms. Whatever we see, we will have to intuit that what I say is that same Narayana. vidya vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini sunichaiva shvapakecha panditaha samdarshinaha And especially in the Kena Upanishad, the eye cannot see Him, the ear cannot hear Him, the mind cannot think Him, the buddhi cannot conceive of Him. But without the eye, He can see, without the ear, He can hear, without the mind, He can know. Why? Because He has become everything. He is what we call Sarvajnaha. He knows everything. How does He know everything? Because He is everything. That is why it is said, for the sake of meditation, adopt any form but don't confine Him and say He will be like this. Otherwise, we become fanatics like so many religious fanatics. If you don't think of God in our language, if you don't think of God as we depict Him, you will go to the other place. Just believe me, it is far better to go to the other place than to live and go and live in this kind of heaven. Nachakshusha pashyati kashyamena That means all the sense organs, including the mind, will not be able to experience because He is Ananta. In fact, I do not exist. Ananta means I do not exist, you do not exist, nobody exists excepting Him. But He has to be thought about. Where? Hridistham. Earlier we have seen, Angusta matraha purusha shariro sadha jananam hridaya sannivistaha He is there. Where? Right within us, outside us, but we can only comprehend Him within ourselves. But He has to be thought about. How? Hrida Through pure heart, through prayerful attitude, through self-surrender. Manasa A mind which is totally devoted, which cannot even think about anything else. And if one does that, what happens? Ya enam evam idaho Then He will be known as He is, not as we think He is. Such people become immortal. I remember a beautiful incident. A disciple, a monk in fact, he was a brahmachari at that time. He wanted to test his Guru, Swami Brahmanandaji. And so Brahmanandaji made a rule, early morning all his disciples and other Swamis should come and meditate in front of him. Because in his presence, they could be uplifted. So one brahmachari decided to test his Guru. So he said, today I will close my eyes, pretend I am meditating, I will think all dirty thoughts. He could not. He tried for one hour. He failed. At the end of the meditation, everybody comes and makes pranams to him, receives his blessing and they go about for their own duties. So this brahmachari came, went down, lifted his face and Maharaj was very grave. He said, no more testing. And later on he recollected, I was very fortunate to hear this from his own mouth at Bellarmat in 1967. So this mantra is telling, God makes everything work, the body work, the mind work, the sense organs work, the whole world work. But it cannot contain Him. Therefore it cannot see Him. It cannot hear Him. It cannot taste Him. It cannot touch Him. And it cannot smell Him. But everything that we see, hear, taste, smell and touch is nothing but Him. But we should not think, whatever I am experiencing is God. He is Ananta. That is the meaning of it. This is helpful for our meditation. Then the mantra proceeds, Ajata ity evam kashchid bhiruh prapadyate rudra ity dakshinam mukham tena mam pahi nityam Some devotee, being afraid, approach the divine thinking that you are unborn or rudra. Here rudra means, very beautiful definition, Roda ity ity rudraha He who makes you cry is rudra. If you are committing sins, He will punish you, therefore you end up by weeping. If you are good, He will bestow His grace. He will give you mukti and you weep tears of joy. Shri Ramakrishna used to say that the tears that come from the corner near the nose are tears of joy. And that comes from the other end of the eye are tears of grief. So there are two types. For both, God is responsible. So we are all frightened of death. But God is deathless. That is why He is called Mrityunjaya. And so we say, O Lord, please save me. I am terrified of death. Rudra, O Lord, Yathe Dakshinamukha. Dakshinamukha means the aspect of Mrityunjaya. The southern side is supposed to be presided over by Yamadharma Raja. That is why in Hinduism, there is a saying, You should not put your head towards the south. Always towards the east or towards the north, but never towards the south. Otherwise, Yamadharma Raja will come quickly and this person is wanting to die. I am so happy, but it is a superstition. But this Dakshinamurthy, none other than Shiva, He is Mrityunjaya. So He is not frightened to turn His face towards the south. Not only that, in our Dakshinamurthy Sutram, we have explored. He is called Dakshinamurthy because He is Dakshaha. Dakshaha means extremely powerful, skillful in saving a surrendering devotee to rescue from the clutches of this Jnana or Maya. That is why He is called Dakshinamurthy. This is a prayer. I am frightened, O Lord, like Markandeya. So please save me, O Rudra, with your Dakshinamukha. But you have also other Mukhas which are ferocious, which is frightening, which will drown us in this Samsara if you are not pleased. But I am surrendering myself to you. I am your child. So Tena Dakshinamukhena Mam Pahinityam. That is why this Mahamrutyunjaya Mantra is the most wonderful mantra in the whole world. Trayambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivarthanam Urvarukameva Bandhanah Mrutyo Muksheya Ma Amruta Lord, like a cucumber that is attached to the plant, hard to break, you take with your glands, break it. That is, separate me from death. That means do not allow me to fall into the clutches of death. That is the meaning. But do not misunderstand me. Ma Amruta, but I am immortal. Do not separate me from immortality. Separate me only from mortality. Why? Because you are called Trayambaka. Trayambaka means he who has risen beyond realities. The right eye, left eye representing Surya and Chandra. That means this whole universe. And what is the third eye? That which is beyond this universe, beyond the manifest and the unmanifest. Yajamahe, we worship you. Sugandhim, the very thought of you fills us with great Ananda. Pushtivarthanam, you nourish us with all the spiritual thoughts, with bodily food, with intellectual food, with aesthetic food, with spiritual food, with moral food, finally with the food of immortality. This is a prayer. And the next one is also a prayer. Ma Na Stoke Taneye, Ma Na Ayushi, Ma No Goshu, Ma Na Asveshu, Peerishaha, Veeran Ma No Rudra Bhamitu, Vadheerha Vishmantaha, Sada Mitva Havamahe. It is again another prayer. Hey Rudra or Rudra in the younger, do not afflict our children, our grandchildren, our cattle, our horses, our houses, it means and do not injure anybody. In their anger, don't take away the best of our nation, our family, because we have to be together. Do not kill anybody. Sada, always you protect and we will surrender ourselves to you. Havishmantaha, we want to worship you all the time. This is a beautiful prayer, the universal prayer. Sarve Janaha Sukhino Bhavantu, Sarve Santu Niramayaha, Ma Kashchit Dukkha Bhaag Bhavet. That is the word Naha means universally. What does it mean? Injure us not in respect of children, that means do not kill them or grandchildren and do not separate us from life, that means save us from death, nor in respect of cows because cows, horses are instruments by which we can worship you. Do not destroy the best among us, our heroes in their anger or Rudra. We invoke thee always with offerings. The real meaning of this is, O Lord, you see that we will not do anything unrighteous. See that we do not transgress the teachings of the scriptures because what brings the displeasure, the anger of God is deviating from the teachings of the scriptures, which are the commandments of the divine Lord. Every scripture is a commandment. That is Vaishyasati Iti Shastraha. So this is a prayer for the prosperity of the whole world because when we are prosperous, then we are in a position to serve the society, to offer our prayers to you and to devote our life to you. That is the meaning of it. With this, the 22nd day is also over. What is the summary? This fourth chapter of this Shweta Shwetara Upanishad, that is the teaching of a great Rishi called Shweta Shwetara has 22 mantras in this fourth chapter. And mantras 1 to 4 describe that Brahman is the creator, creator, sustainer and the cause of dissolution. यः एक्वः अवर्णः भवुदाशत्योगात् वर्णान् अनेका वर्णान् means every form of creation. नीतार्थो तधाते विचैति चंते विष्वमादौच देवह That means you are the creator, you are the sustainer and you are the substratum, you are everything, you are only manifesting as this universe. So what do you want? सनः पुद्ध्या शुबया संयुनत्तु That is same like Gayatri mantra धियो योनः प्रचोधया May you endow us with that understanding that you are the cause of the whole world, you are the creator etc. How does He create? With the help of Prakruti. That is said in the sixth and seventh mantra अजाम एकाम There is one unborn and it is one and it is consisting of लोहित शुक्ल कृष्ण Of the three colors, red, white and black, indicating Rajas, Sattva guna and Tamo guna. The whole universe is made out of Prakruti, the volutes of Prakruti. Prakruti is consisting of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Everything in this world is a manifestation of these three gunas. That is what every day we say, स्रिष्टिस्तिति विनाशारां शक्ति भूते सनातने गुणाश्रिये गुणमयी नारायणि नमोस्तुति भःफीः प्रजाह सुझ्यमानां सरूपः Beautiful psychological fact. If whatever be the cause, the effect will be exactly the same. सरूपः That is you created everything in the way of three gunas. And then what is the way out? मायां तु प्रकृतिम् विद्धि मायि नम्च महेश्वरम् Know the Divine Lord. तविहेशा गुणमये ममा माया दुरत्यया मामेवये प्रपद्यंते माया मेताम्तरत् I am the Divine Lord. I am the Lord of the Maya or Prakruti and it is my Prakruti. It is a Divine Prakruti. So nobody has the capacity to overcome it. But those who surrender themselves to me, out of my grace, I myself will take them across my own Maya. That is why the मायि नम् The musician is Maheshwara, Maya is Prakruti. This is the essence of the tenth mantra. Then you see the fourteenth mantra, विश्वस्य एकम् परिवेष्टितारम् नात्वाशिवम् शान्तिन् अत्यंतमेति What is the duty of every human being? To realize God. So whom should he realize? विश्वस्य एकम् परिवेष्टितारम् He who is the creator, the maintainer and the destroyer, who is manifesting in the form of the entire universe. He is the one. एकम् नात्वाशिवम् शान्तिन् अत्यंतमेति How? फ्रिदा, through our purified buddhi, फ्रिदिस्तम्, he who is our अन्तर्यामि, मनस, by only spiritual thoughts. य एनं विदुः, they who realize that I am he, ते अमृता भवन्ते, they become amrutas. अजातः इतेवं कस्चिद् भेरुः प्रपद्यते, they are all frightened people, they are frightened of birth, frightened of life, frightened of death. Their whole life is nothing but pure fright. Therefore, रुद्र, हे रुद्र, यत्ते दक्षिनमुखम् तेनमाम् पाहि नित्यम्, O Lord, save me always, look after me, if you leave me, I will be nothing. This is what Sri Ramakrishna says, he who holds on to the father's hand might sleep, but he who is held by the father will never sleep. This is to acknowledge we belong to God, we have to go to God, we must become one with God. And the only way to do that is to surrender ourselves to Him and He will definitely save us. This is the essence of the fourth chapter of the Shweta Shvatara consisting of 22 mantras.