Dakshinamurti Stotram Part 23 on 18 March 2021

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

OM JANANIYAM SHARADAM DEVYAM RAMAKRISHNAM JAGAD GURUM PADAPADME TAYO SHRITVA PRANAMAMI MUHURMU OM YO BRAHMANAM VIDADHATI PURVAM YO VAI VEDAM SHCHA PRAHINOTI TASMAI TAMHA DEVAM ATMA BUDDHI PRAKASHAM MUMOKSHARU VAI SHARANAM AHAM PRAPADYE We have completed the 5th verse of the Dakshina Murti Stotram in our last class. In that, there is one particular line which I need to repeat. Then we will move on to the 6th verse. So what is this 5th verse? DEHAM PRANAMAPI INDRIYANYAPI CHALAM BUDDHIM CHASUNYAM VIDHU STHRI BALA ANDA JADA UPAMAHATU AHAMITI BHRANTA BRISHAMVADINAH MAYASHIKTI VILASAKALPITA MAHA VYAMOHA SAMHARINE TASMAI SHRI GURUMURTAYE NAMAIDAM SHRI DAKSHINAMURTAYE HE WHO REMOVES ALL THE TERRIBLE MISCONCEPTIONS CREATED BY THE DELUDING PLAY OF MAHAMAYA IN THOSE WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY INNOCENT AS A WOMAN, A CHILD, A BLIND OR AN IDIOT AND WHO CONSIDER THE REALITY AS THEIR BODY OR THEIR PRANA OR THEIR SENSES OR THEIR EVER-CHANGING INTELLECT OR AS A MERE VOID AND THROUGH ERROR MISCONCEPTION DECLARE THEM TO BE THE ONLY REALITY HE WHO DESTROYS ALL THESE MISCONCEPTIONS TO HIM THE DIVINE TEACHER SHRI DAKSHINAMURTI WHO MANIFESTS TO EACH ONE OF US IN THE FORM OF OUR OWN INDIVIDUAL GURU IS MY PROSTRATION THE LINE I WAS REFERRING TO STRI BALA ANDHA JADA UPAMAHA TO AHAMITI BHRANTA BHUSAM VADINAHA THESE WORDS ESPECIALLY THE WORD STRI MAY GIVE OFFENCE TO MANY WOMEN WE HAVE DISCUSSED IT BUT YET I AM STILL REPEATING IT A STRI OR A WOMAN IS SUPPOSED TO BE FULL OF UNINTELLIGENT EMOTIONS UNTHINKING EMOTIONS EVEN WE USE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE A COVERED MALE IS ALSO CALLED ARE YOU A WOMAN LIKE THAT EXPRESSIONS ARE THERE IN MANY OTHER THINGS WHICH I WOULD NOT LIKE TO BRING HERE STRI MERELY MEANS AN UNREFINED MIND WITH FULL OF CONFLICTING AND ZOSLING EMOTIONS AND EVERY TIME THE PERSON CHANGES HIS MIND A PERSON WHO DOESN'T HAVE A DEFINITE IDEA EITHER ABOUT HIMSELF OR THE WORLD BUT GOES ON CHANGING ACCORDING TO THE CHANGING SCENARIO OF THE EMOTIONS SUCH A PERSONALITY IS CALLED STRI BALA MEANS A PERSON WHO HAS TREMENDOUS POTENTIALITIES AND YET AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME THE PERSON HAS AN UNDEVELOPED INTELLECT BUT HE HAS GOT WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO GROW UP AND TO UNDERSTAND DEEPLY PROVIDED HE GETS THE OPPORTUNITY BUT THAT DEPENDS UPON THE PARENTS, THE FAMILY, THE SOCIETY, ETC. THEN JADA, ANDA, ANDA MEANS BLIND A BLIND PERSON IS A TERRIBLE FANATIC HE REFUSES TO SEE THE TRUTH EVEN WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING AT MIDDAY SAYS IT IS COMPLETE DARKNESS AND WHAT I SAY ALONE IS THE TRUTH AND PLENTY OF SUCH PEOPLE ARE THERE IN THIS WORLD THEN THERE IS A JADA JADA MEANS A PERSON WHO IS NEITHER A FANATIC NOR A CHILD WITH POTENTIALITY BUT AT LEAST FOR THIS LIFE FOR VEDANTA DOESN'T SAY THAT ANYBODY IS CONDEMNED FOREVER TO HELL MAYBE THIS LIFE MAYBE AFTER HUNDRED LIVES THIS PERSON WILL COME UP JADA SIMPLY MEANS THAT THE PERSON HAS NO RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO UNDERSTAND THINGS PROPERLY AND ALL THESE PEOPLE WHAT DO THEY ALL THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DELUDED AND WHO VEHEMENTLY ARGUE WHAT WE HOLD THAT OPINION ALONE IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH SUCH PEOPLE FALL INTO ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES THAT SIMPLY MEANS THEY ARE NOT RATIONAL AND THEY DO NOT HAVE EVEN THAT OPENNESS TO TRUTH BUT IN COURSE OF TIME THEY WILL ALSO MOVE ON FOR THE ESCALATOR CALLED EVOLUTION WILL NOT ALLOW ANYBODY TO STAND WHERE HE IS EVERY MILLISECOND WE ARE PROGRESSING TOWARDS THE TRUTH SO IN THIS 5TH VERSE WHAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED WAS THAT ALL OF US EITHER WE SAY I AM THE POSSESSIONS OR I AM THE BODY OR I AM THE PRANA OR I AM THE SENSE ORGANS OR I AM THE MIND OR THE INTELLECT OR I AM WHAT WE CALL ANANDA MAYA KOSHA IDENTIFYING ONESELF WITH THE WAKING STATE THE DREAM STATE AND THE DEEP SLEEP STATE ALL THESE IDEAS THAT WE HAVE DISCUSSED BELONG TO ONE OF THESE 3 CATEGORIES OR EVEN BETTER VEDANTA DIVIDES OUR IDENTITY INTO 5 LAYERS PANCHA KOSHA THE BODY, THE PRANA, THE INTELLECT, THE MIND, THE INTELLECT AND THEN FINALLY ANANDA MAYA KOSHA THIS DEHA, PRANA, MANAS, VIGNANA MAYA KOSHA AND ANANDA MAYA KOSHA ALL THESE ARE COMPLETELY MISTAKEN NOTIONS BUT THE WONDERFUL THING IS WE ALL START WITH IDENTIFICATION WITH OUR POSSESSION THEN PROGRESS IDENTIFICATION WITH THE BODY, WITH THE PRANA, WITH THE MIND, WITH THE INTELLECT AND WITH ANANDA AND ULTIMATELY WE GO BEYOND ANANDA THAT IS THE INEVITABLE PROCESS OF THIS EVOLUTION, SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION INCIDENTALLY EVEN BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND MENTAL OR INTELLECTUAL EVOLUTION MORAL EVOLUTION OR SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION ALL THESE COME ONE AFTER THE OTHER I AM TEMPTED TO MAKE A SMALL REMARK HERE WHEN A PERSON IS EVOLVING ALL THE FACULTIES WITHIN HIM ALSO AUTOMATICALLY EVOLVE IT IS NOT THAT A PERSON IS VERY SPIRITUAL AND IS ANODY IN MUSIC OR AESTHETIC SENSE IS LACKING THAT IS NEVER POSSIBLE AS WE PROGRESS, PROGRESS IN EVERY FIELD WILL BE THERE THE ONLY IMAGERY OR ANALOGY I CAN GIVE YOU SUPPOSING YOU ARE CLIMBING A MOUNTAIN AS YOU ARE CLIMBING INTO HIGHER AND HIGHER PLACES YOUR VISION WIDENS AND ON ALL SIDES THE VISION WIDENS EXACTLY IN THE SAME WAY WHEN A PERSON PROGRESSES IN LIFE HOWEVER IT MAY APPEAR HE IS STUCK SOMEWHERE BUT PROGRESS IS INEVITABLE THEN WHETHER IT IS PHYSICAL EVOLUTION OR INTELLECTUAL EVOLUTION OR MORAL EVOLUTION OR SPIRITUAL EVOLUTION AND OF COURSE INCLUDED AESTHETIC EVOLUTION ALL THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE PERHAPS YOU CAN RECALL THAT ANANDA, BLISS OR HAPPINESS IS DIVIDED INTO 5 CATEGORIES VISHAYANANDA, MEDHANANDA, KALANANDA, DHARMANANDA AND BRAHMANANDA ALL THESE TAKE PLACE ONE BY ONE NOBODY WILL REMAIN IN THE SAME STATE FOREVER NOW ANOTHER POINT WE NEED TO I DON'T BELONG TO ANY ONE OF THESE SCHOOLS I KNOW I AM THE ATMAN ONLY A REALIZED SOUL CAN TELL THAT UNTIL THAT TIME SOME PEOPLE MAY PRACTICE A FEW PEOPLE INTELLECTUALLY BEING CONVINCED THAT I AM THE ATMAN BUT EVEN THEY ARE FAR FROM THERE REST OF THE PEOPLE, REST MEANS ALL OF US AT SOME POINT OF TIME WE IDENTIFY WITH OUR POSSESSION AT SOME POINT OF TIME WITH THE BODY OTHER TIMES WITH OUR PRANA OTHER TIMES WITH OUR SENSE ORGANS THE MIND MEANS IDEAS, THOUGHTS AND AT OTHER TIMES OUR CONVICTIONS THAT INCLUDES SHRADDHA AND ULTIMATELY OF COURSE ALL OF US DO ANYTHING THAT WE DO BECAUSE WE WISH TO BE HAPPY THIS IS CALLED ANANDA MAYA KOSHA PLEASE NOTE DOWN THESE TWO POINTS WE GO ON CHANGING OUR IDENTITY AT ANY GIVEN TIME FIRST POINT SECOND POINT AT ANY GIVEN TIME ALL THESE IDEAS ARE THERE, INHERENT BUT ONE PARTICULAR IDEA BECOMES DOMINANT THIRD POINT THE PURPOSE OF LIFE ITSELF IS TO BE HAPPY ULTIMATELY THIS IS THE ONLY JUDGMENTAL VALUE AM I HAPPY? AM I NOT HAPPY? AND THE FOURTH POINT IS WE REALIZE FINALLY HAVING HAPPINESS IS INSECURITY, FEAR BEING HAPPINESS, BECOMING ONE WITH HAPPINESS IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL THAT IS THE ESSENCE OF THE FIFTH VERSE NOW WE ENTER INTO THE SIXTH VERSE I HAVE TO DECLARE AT THE OUTSET THAT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST MARVELOUS SHLOKAS IN THE LITERATURE OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE WHOLE WORLD THE FIRST POINT WE TAKE NOTE IS ACCEPTING INDIAN PHILOSOPHERS NOBODY HAS TAKEN NOTE OF THE SECOND AND THIRD STATES WHICH EVERY LIVING CREATURE EXPERIENCES IN ITS LIFE CYCLE WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? EVERY LIVING CREATURE SUCCESSIVELY GOES THROUGH THE WAKING STATE, JAGRADAVASTA THE DREAM STATE, SWAPNAVASTA AND ALSO KARANAVASTA OR DEEP SLEEP STATE AND CORRESPONDINGLY WE ALSO HAVE GOT AT EVERY STAGE THAT PARTICULAR INSTRUMENT THROUGH WHICH THAT PARTICULAR EXPERIENCE OF THE WORLD CAN ALONE BE EXPERIENCED ONLY WITH THAT INSTRUMENT FOR EXAMPLE THE PHYSICAL BODY IS THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE JAGRADAVASTA WAKING STATE AND THE SUBTLE BODY SOKSHMA SHARIRA IS THE ONLY INSTRUMENT FOR EXPERIENCING DREAM STATE AND THE CAUSAL BODY THAT VERY NAME CAUSAL, CAUSE DIVIDE UP BOTH PHYSICAL AND SUBTLE BODIES THAT IS THE ONLY INSTRUMENT TO EXPERIENCE IT NOW ALL THE OTHER SCHOOLS OF PHILOSOPHY THAT MEANS OUR CONCEPTS ABOUT WHO WE ARE DEPEND UPON THE WAKING STATE AS WELL AS THE DREAM STATE NOW THE THIRD STATE WHICH IS CALLED DEEP SLEEP OR SU-SHUPTI SUPTI MEANS JUST TO BE ONESELF COMPLETELY DETACHED FROM EVERYTHING ELSE SO SUPTI BY THE SANSKRIT GRAMMAR SANDHI SU PLUS SU BECOMES SU SHU SU SHUPTI DEEP SLEEP WHERE THERE IS NEITHER THE PHYSICAL BODY NOR THE SUBTLE BODY AND VERY FEW PEOPLE INCLUDING PSYCHOLOGISTS THEY HAVE NOT TAKEN COGNIZANCE OF THIS STATE BUT VEDANTA HAS TAKEN A DEEP STUDY ABOUT THE WAKING DREAM AS WELL AS THE DEEP SLEEP AND OF ALL THE STATES THIS DEEP SLEEP STATE IS THE NEAREST TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT ADVAIT VEDANTA REALLY IS AND WE HAVE TO LEARN A LOT OF LESSONS WHICH I AM GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT DEEP BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE CLEAR ENOUGH WHEN I GO ON TALKING ABOUT IT THERE ARE LOTS OF LESSONS TO BE LEARNED BY STUDYING THIS DEEP SLEEP STATE WHAT IS DEEP SLEEP WHAT HAPPENS IN DEEP SLEEP AND HOW WE CAN LEARN OUR LESSON THESE THINGS WE GO ON IN THIS SHLOKA WELL UPON IT BUT FIRST OF ALL WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND VEDANTA IS THE ONLY PHILOSOPHY IN THE WHOLE WORLD WHICH TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION THE TOTALITY OF EXPERIENCES OF LIFE AVAILABLE AT ALL THE THREE STAGES OF CONSCIOUSNESS THE WAKING THE DREAM AND THE DEEP SLEEP CONDITIONS AND INCIDENTALLY THE COMMENTARY OF GAUDAPADA ALONG WITH THE COMMENTARY OF SHANKARACHARYA GAUDAPADA'S COMMENTARIES ARE CALLED KARIKAS AND THESE KARIKAS NOT ONLY THEY ARE TOUGH IN WHAT IS CALLED COMPOSITION BUT EXTREMELY DEEP IN THEIR MEANINGS SO IT IS SAID IF ONE DOESN'T STUDY MANDOKYA KARIKA HE WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IS ADVAITHA VEDANTA AND IF A PERSON HAS STUDIED MANDOKYA KARIKA HE NEED NOT STUDY ANY OTHER UPANISHAD THAT ALONE WILL DO AND WHAT IS MANDOKYA KARIKA ABOUT MANDOKYA UPANISHAD PLUS GAUDAPADA'S KARIKAS PLUS SHANKARACHARYA'S BHASHYAM THESE THREE TOGETHER WE SIMPLY CALL MANDOKYA KARIKAS THESE THREE COMBINED TOGETHER STUDY THE THREE STATES OF HUMAN COMPLETE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AS I MENTIONED JUST NOW EARLIER EVERY LIVING CREATURE INCLUDING A SEMI-WAKING STATE CALLED DREAM STATE AS WELL AS THE DREAMLESS STATE MANY TIMES I MADE FUN A YOUNG MALE MOSQUITO ALSO HAS TREMENDOUS DREAMS ABOUT HIS DREAM GIRL AND VICE VERSA SO IT ALSO WHERE CAN I GET EASY FOOD GOOD FOOD AND WITHOUT MUCH TROUBLE THEN I CAN TAKE COMPLETE REST EVEN THIS MOSQUITO ALSO GOES INTO THIS DEEP SLEEP STATE BECAUSE IT IS THE NATURE OF THE PARAMATMA ATMA WHO SUSTAINS WHO IS THE SUBSTRATUM OF ALL THESE THREE STATES AND WHO CYCLES AS IT WERE FROM ONE STATE TO THE OTHER STATE WE HAVE NO REASON TO SAY THAT ONLY HUMAN BEING EXPERIENCES AND OTHERS DO NOT EXPERIENCE NO SCIENTIFIC STUDY HAS EVER BEEN DONE IN THE VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY WHEN OUR AWARENESS OF EVERYTHING HAS ENDED AND EVEN THE MIND AND INTELLECT HAVE RETIRED AND THE INTELLECT PERCEIVES NOTHING THIS CONDITION OF REST IN THE CAUSAL BODY IS CALLED SOKSHMA KARANA SHARIRA IS CALLED THE STATE OF DEEP INSIGHT SO WE CAN SAY THAT THE BUDDHIST WHICH WAS MENTIONED EARLIER SHUNYAVADINS A PARTICULAR SCHOOL OF BUDDHISTIC PHILOSOPHY CALLED MADHYAMIKAS APOCHI NAGA ARJUNA WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST PERSONS HE SEEMS TO BE A TELUGU PERSON AND THATS WHY SUCH AN Only the buddhi is forced to be wide awake, not otherwise. Okay, this is called Shunyavada. How did they arrive? This idea of Shunyavada, well my friend, if you are the body or if you are the sense organs or any of the other states we just mentioned, what happens in deep sleep? You do not exist at all. You wake up completely as a different person, as if you are dead. You are a reborn person. Every person who wakes up from deep sleep has woken up from a state of shunya or void. But this is completely irrational. Even though some of the Buddhists were so completely rational, highly intellectual, how they missed this idea is a matter for surprise. So sleep is empty of experiences, sushupti. We are not talking about dream. The sleep state is empty of experiences because the instruments of the waking and the dream experiences got through. The gross and subtle bodies are not available in deep sleep and so they do not bring us any experiences. This condition of deep sleep is caused by the power of maya, wailing power of maya, maya samad chadanat. Now the question is, when we are in deep sleep, does the Atman get completely annihilated or it is only a temporary destruction of the manifestations of the body and mind? That is the $64,000 question and this condition is so beautifully dealt with by Shankaracharya by giving a simile in this sixth shloka. What is the simile here? We experience eclipses, the eclipse of the sun, eclipse of the moon, these are the two important things and when the sun is eclipsed or the moon is eclipsed as if the sun is completely hidden and so in deep sleep also the maya eclipses this Atman as it were and so we do not experience or we say we think we do not experience which is of course a complete false assertion which we are going to discuss very shortly. It is some people have come to the understanding for 5 hours, 6 hours, I did not know anything, I was not even aware of my own existence, so I must have been completely absent and therefore it is a state of pure void and after dream state we enter into void state and then we come back magically somehow it is one of the greatest miracle that how we wake up and then find our identity exactly in the same way that is that these people do not analyze at all and that is what is going to be analyzed in this sixth shloka. Existence is not absent, it is very much available, not only available, it is fully functional otherwise who is going to wake up upon waking up remember that I slept, we do not say XYZ had come into my deep sleep and I was absent, he slept and then I woke up, this is completely irrational. What do we say aham sukham aswapsam, I slept well, nobody says nobody else has come and then slept, not only that it is one of the states of happiness that is another argument posited because if I am void, who was experiencing this sukha, I was very happy, now who was experiencing, is your neighbor coming and experiencing happiness or are you experiencing the happiness, was it your experience. If you are not present obviously you cannot experience and another very interesting fact is we can only remember what we experience, suppose you saw a strange animal and then you have an experience and then you can have recollection, can you give me one example that you remember something which you never experienced yourself, of course there are Prabuddhas all over the world, no, no I did not have any experience but I read Sri Ram Krishna's experience and I am quoting it, that's not your experience, that's not your memory, that was Sri Ram Krishna's memory, it is not a memory of experience, it is a memory of what you read about Sri Ram Krishna's words, there is a huge difference between these two. Let me just give an example, Sri Ram Krishna has eaten a very wonderful sweet and he comes and tells, in my whole life I never tasted anything like this and he expresses it to you and you hear it and then you recollect, Sri Ram Krishna says, if you are honest what do you say, you never say, I experienced it, at best you can say, I think, I believe there is a sweet which is marvelous because a truthful person like Sri Ram Krishna could not have otherwise stated like that, this is not memory of your experience, it is the recollection of the experience of somebody you read either in the books or heard from his mouth or whatever it is. So what I am trying to tell you, only each one of us first must experience something and that will be creating a memory and later on we recollect that memory, this recollection of memory has got a very technical word in Vedanta, it is called Pratyavigna. So for example, you have seen Rama 50 years back and afterwards you never met him, perhaps you even had forgotten him and one day suddenly you meet him and then you could not of course recognize there is a third person, a common friend for both of you, yourself and Rama and he says, do you recognize this person, you say, no, I don't think I have ever met this person, this is why you fellows grew up side by side, he was your neighbor and you played together, this is Krishna, oh my God, I remember now, that means you recollect an experience which you had 50 years before. This is recognition, first time that is cognition but thereafterwards every time we recognize something, it is not original cognition but it is recognition, that recognition is called Pratyavigna. Avigna is cognition, Pratyavigna is recognition, every single time we experience something and we can do it billions of times, that is called Pratyavigna. Now I am going to tell you something which I many times expressed it, suppose you have seen me just now, at least on this Zoom class you have seen my face and then you have been listening and suddenly a new thought comes and then you again come back and remember me. Now don't think that it is not a recognition, each time some thought comes of which we experienced billions of times, every time it is a new cognition but because just a few minutes back we have seen the face, the process of time that takes to cognize or recognize is just very fast, that's why it gives an illusion that all the time my face is in your mind, this is not simply true. Every time you meet anybody and surprising thing is not only anybody, even your own face when you look at the mirror, every time you see it is a recognition, it is not cognition at all, this is something very surprising. So let us keep in mind this Pratyavigna is the strongest argument against this Shunyavadis and also Kshanikavignanavadis about whom we have discussed earlier. Now we will recite the 6th shloka. Rahu grasta divakara indu sadrusho maya samachadhanat sanmatrah karana upasamharanatah yo abodh sushuptah puman prag asvapsam iti prabodhasamaye yah pratyavignayate tasmai srigurumurtaye namaidam sridakshinamurtaye As I mentioned earlier this 6th shloka is all about two things, one deep analysis of what is deep sleep or sushupti, second it is a definitive refutation of the Shunyavadins as well as Kshanikavignanavadins. The meaning of this shloka is withdrawing all the functions of the senses, he who enters into a state of deep sleep and remains there as existence alone veiled in maya like the sun or the moon during the time of eclipse but who on waking remembers to have slept to him the divine teacher Sridakshinamurti is this prostration. Let me analyze this one, very very simple terms. Rahu grasta divakara indu sadrusha. Sadrusha means an analogy, what is divakara means the sun, indu means the moon, divakara means he who makes the light or who starts great activities among all the living creatures that is the sun after sunrise that's why he is called the sun and sometimes the eclipse comes rahu grasta that is followed by the rahu. Rahu is supposed to be a chayagraha according to Indian astrological this thing there is a planet that is called rahu and this planet comes in between our sight and either the sun or the moon so sometimes you know the earth itself throws a shadow but this is only for the sake of people with little intellect that there is a planet. There is no such special planet called rahu but what it means rahu also means only it is only the face is there, the head is there, nothing else is there. This story is well known when the ocean has been churned and amruta or the nectar has been brought out the demons were snatched the all that nectar or amruta bhanda about to eat Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini and he was smiling at the rakshasas mesmerizing them making them forget about the nectar but distributing everything to the gods and one fellow clever fellow found it out and jumped the queue sat in the row of the devatas and this sun and moon it seems let Vishnu know by winking here one fellow had jumped the queue and immediately Vishnu took out his chakra and then cut off the head by that time amruta had entered into the head that's why it could not be killed and so even today out of revenge this fellow comes now and then and then as if he swallows either the sun or the moon this is what we in popular terms call eclipse but the thing we have to understand is the right word for it is in Sanskrit language chaya graha chaya means shadow simply the shadow of either the moon or the earth it comes in between us and either it eclipses the sun or it eclipses the moon and then the wonderful thing is the eclipse can be seen only by a particular at a particular place by a particular few people and not by everybody second there are people in some part of the world where there is no eclipse at all third factor is it is the sun which or moon which illuminates even when the sun is covered or the moon is covered a light that emanates from either the sun or the moon that alone illuminates the shadow and so there is nothing called hundred percent covering up of the either the sun or the moon even to know that there is a shadow we need light in deep darkness you cannot understand what is a shadow so produced by the sun and then it covers the sun and while covering also sunlight is needed to cognize that there is a shadow here rahu grasta diva karendu sadrishu what is this analogy for what happens to a person in deep sleep just like this chaya graha what happens is it looks like that consciousness has withdrawn it is a mistake consciousness is not withdrawn but the instruments through which consciousness functions the body is withdrawn withdrawn because it is not dead the mind is withdrawn with all its sense organs it is not dead for the time being the purusha pure consciousness it only enters into that particular state called deep sleep where there are no experiences that are obtained only through the body or mind but there is one experience is there what is that experience sanmatraha I am there this is one but as I said a pure consciousness in the form of what is called chaya abhasa chitabhasa it is there what is the state of the deep sleep for that we again have to remind ourselves maya like this rahu it also overshadows during the waking during the dream state as well as the deep sleep but maya has got two powers what is the power it has got vikshaya pashakti projecting power projecting power operates both in the waking state as well as the dream state but it has another power it is called avarana shakti which conceals the reality and that is there present in 100% glory in the deep sleep state so what does the chitabhasa or the reflection of the pure consciousness experience it experiences I do not know anything that is the state is maya sanmatraha and then brahman also has got three lakshanas sat, chit and ananda but in this deep sleep state only two lakshanas or characteristics are present here what is that one is called sat the chitabhasa is there I am experiencing deep sleep and he also experiences more ananda during this deep sleep how do we know sukham aham aswapsam I slept very happily I slept so there when I say I slept it is indicating two characteristics first I did not have any objective experiences and I am very happy it is strictly not correct to say the chitabhasa is not experiencing any objective there is an object what is that object the first power of maya called avarana shakti the chitabhasa is experiencing avarana shakti expressed in the form of I did not know anything why does this deep sleep state comes karana upasamharanataha because of the withdrawal of what karana instruments what instruments the body as well as the mind then what happens this chitabhasa along with that causal state of the mind sushupta abodh enters into that most marvelous state called sushupti that is what puman means every living creature every creature with life is called puman especially this is analyzable not by any animal so far as we know only for a enlightened human being praak aswapsam iti prabodha samaye prabodha samaye samaye means at the time when prabodha when he wakes up when he enters from this third state of sushupti into the first state called waking state prabodha samaye what is exclamation praak aswapsam praak before waking up into the waking state what does he say aswapsam I slept well I was in the state of deep sleep but as soon as he wakes up what is his experience such a puman such a creature living jivatma pratyabhijnayate he cognizes this is me this is my body this is my mind this is my house this is my country this is my family this is my religion this is my language and everything that we understand the reality that is what he says pratyabhijnayate everything as if it is he recognizes that's why it took time to dwell upon pratyabhijnayate every time it takes a few milliseconds as soon as you wake up the first thing is who am I where am I oh I am so and so how do you know you are so and so perhaps you see your husband and you say oh I am the wife of this person you see your children say oh I am the mother of these children you see your parents oh I am the child of this and then you remember oh this is my servant I am the mistress so like that through all these things and here is a very important psychological fact supposing husband is absent parents are absent children are absent everyone is absent it is a completely a dark state would you recognize yes we do recognize but it takes a longer time what is the point the point is what I am that knowledge depends upon their relationship with all these things otherwise it is not possible to say any CV we cannot give any CV and then we understand what do we understand every single day many times is another fact I am going to mention today every single day every living creature goes in cycles through all these things but we have a misnomer that this Jagradha Vastar waking state last from the time of getting up until I go to bed and then for a short time or in between there are states of dreaming and then there is a longer period when I do not have any dreams also that is called a deep sleep state and usually say I went to bed at about 11 o'clock I woke up at 6 o'clock I did not know anything such a long time that is usually classified as deep sleep state Vedanta dispels these wrong notions and say no sir maybe every single minute of our life we go through the three cycles of complete alertness semi-dream state and complete blankness of the mind and there is a fourth state this is very important so in between these states remember all these states come to us in the form of thoughts this is called vritti pratyaya these are the two names the English word thought is translated in Vedantic language either as vritti and why is it vritti means a cycle circle because it comes again and again also pratyaya means that singleness of thought these two are in English language are equivalent to thoughts, thoughts means it could be mere idea imagination dream or planning and remembrance all these are included in these thoughts this word thought now what was I trying to tell you that every single state all these three states many many many times we go through how do we know how do we know because if you can keep waking state for 12 seconds it is called dharana if you can keep the same single thought for 144 seconds 12 into 12 it is called dhyana if you can keep 144 into 12 multiplied by 12 that is called samadhi dharana dhyana and samadhi of course it is obvious none of us have got that ability every single second how our thoughts are moving and all our thoughts go through these three states come very alert thought semi alert thought mixed with imagination called dream and then complete blankness and that blankness is also witnessed but usually we don't take notice these are the three states but I mentioned a fourth state what is that fourth state it is that state in between these thoughts I am again I am repeating it waking state is a thought dream state is also a thought dreamless state is also a thought you may question we will discuss about it in our next class deep sleep state is a thought because the thought I have no experience I did not witness anything is a thought I witnessed something that is a thought I did not witness anything that is another thought and to cognize both experience and non-experience we need the background of the that awareness so that is why I am mentioning it in between these three thoughts or otherwise we all the thoughts throughout these three states of waking dream and dreamless all the three all the three can be defined as three types of thoughts and in between each thought in each one of these states there is when there is a no thought at all and without that no thought you cannot distinguish this is first object this is second object this is the first thought this is second thought you see I hope you are getting it this is the first stone this is the second stone or this is the India and this is Pakistan in between there is a no man's land is there otherwise quarrels will come that no man's land is called pure consciousness and that pure consciousness is what sustains all the three types of thoughts called waking dream as well as dreamless states so I hope I am able to convey to you to recollect again what am I talking about every living creature goes through the three states of waking then dream then dreamless and only maybe one of the states last longer then we call it waking state when the dream state last longer we call it dream state and when the dreamless states last for a particular period of time because we are creatures of habits and we are awake at some time we drive also driving also we sleep many times and I have seen people sleep what is called dozing and driving and somehow one part of the mind was able to cognize the curves that are coming and do everything but 90% of the mind is totally absent that is why during only this state that accidents happen many times that is the main reason unless it is done deliberately so these three states can be distinguished by the prolonged period of experience but Vedanta tells us but very quickly every single minute we are experiencing these three states completely nobody is completely alert even for a few seconds nobody is completely dreaming and nobody is completely asleep excepting as I said during those prescribed times when one lies down on the bed this is an important part for us to cognize that is what most important for us we are talking about it now there will come a time when a person recognize these four states waking, dream, dreamless and that which sustains these three states which is called sometimes Turiya state or the fourth state it is not a state it manifests itself in and through all the three states and when we become wise we become spiritual aspirants we practice spirituality and progress in spiritual life there will come a time we wake up wake up from these three states completely with complete awareness I have nothing to do with the waking state, dream state or dreamless state I am that pure Shuddha Brahma Shuddha Chaitanya and that is what he is telling that Prabodha Samaye real real waking state Pratyabhignayate the sadhaka recognizes at that time what does he recognize I Mano Buddhya Hankara Chittaninam it's a beautiful verse Gaudapada summarizes in the I think third chapter of this Mandukya Karikas Advaita that there is no sadhaka there is no sadhana there is no siddhi there is no bondage there is no liberation this is the highest truth the only truth so when we wake up and then he who helps us to wake up all that I have spoken here is just a summary and an introduction but this there are wonderful lessons we have to learn which we will talk about in our next class. The only point we have to remember Guru Kripa Guru Kripa Guru Kripa withdrawing all the functions of the senses he who enters into a state of deep sleep and remains there as pure existence alone veiled by the covering power of Maya like the Sun or the Moon during eclipse but who on waking up remembers to have slept on real waking up he understands I am pure Shuddha Chaitanya only by the grace of the divine Lord in the form of Sri Dakshinamurthy to him that divine teacher Sri Dakshinamurthy is this prostration through this sixth shloka two points have been clarified what are the lessons we have to learn from the study or analysis of the sixth shloka and second is this is a strong reputation of the Shunyavadins Kshanikavik Jnanavadins and by proxy all the other Vadin schools of philosophy through them because there is something called Prathama Mallanyaaya just like your Olympic so many people from each country the best is chosen and they all have a first one competition then many are eliminated then second competition all are eliminated excepting one so there will be only two remaining and those two that last person with whom one has to compete resile or win over he that last person is called Prathama Malla or the strongest opposite leader which here represents the Shunyavada and how Advaita Vedanta refutes it and completely demolishes that logic again through logic this is being so explicitly explained in the sixth verse which as I said we will see in our next class.