Purusha Suktam Lecture 02 on 01-June-2023

Full Transcript (under review by Nirupama)

We have started studying this most marvelous suktam called Purusha Suktam. I mentioned earlier that different sects, they do not chant merely one suktam. What is called Pancha Suktam, meaning five suktams. But in South India, especially in the Vaishnava community, the Pancha Suktams are slightly different. Naturally, Vaishnavas include what is called related to Vishnu. What are the Suktams? Purusha Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Sri Suktam, Bhu Suktam and Neela Suktam. And this Purusha Suktam specialty, it is practically seen in all the Vedas. That is why it is considered as the very essence of the Vedas. And this Suktam, what is it about? It is everything to do with Purusha. That is why it is called Purusha Suktam. And this equation is famously given in Tat Tvam Asi Aham Brahma Asmi. What does it mean? The scriptures of Hinduism are called Vedas. And these Vedas, Veda is only one, but divided by Veda Vyasa into four categories. First actually, there were only three. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda. That is why they are called three Vedas. And accordingly Brahmadeva also is depicted as having three faces. But later on a great Rishi had come. His name was Atharvana and he became very popular. So, there was no choice but to add all his discoveries also into the Vedic literature. So it came to be Atharvana Veda, fourth Veda. So now whenever you see Brahma having four faces, but personification, imagery of knowledge that is obtained in the four Vedas as Brahma. Moreover, it is also said creation, sustenance and dissolution take place because of the Vedas, Vedic knowledge. That's why even Brahma, he created a mould as it were and once he prepared the mould, every time he pours the raw material which is himself into that mould, which is called this world, creation. Everything created is nothing but himself because there is nothing besides him. That is why an important Vedic concept, Vedantic concept is Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karana. Who is God? He is the both intelligent cause as well as material cause of this entire universe. But at the same time, he can also be thought about not as a cause but as a non-cause. He is the Karya effect, he is the Karana, the cause, he is Karana Karya Atheetha and that is what Advaita Vedanta wants to emphasize. So that idea, there is no actual creation, it is only seeming creation. To indicate this, the Upanishads, essence of the Vedas are stating this truth that there is nothing excepting Brahman. Of course, this concept, understanding can be done only by conscious beings, living beings. Of all conscious beings, not by everybody but only by human beings. Of all human beings, only the highly evolved human being can really understand this concept. So that is why it is called Mahavakya, the greatest piece of knowledge. How many Mahavakyas are there? Plenty of Mahavakyas are there. Why am I talking about Mahavakya while talking about Purusha Sukta? Because Purusha Sukta is nothing but elaboration of Mahavakya practically with every sentence. Every sentence, every line is only speaking of this Mahavakya. But because of our poor memory, some wise sages have selected from each Veda only one Mahavakya. In fact, there is a funny story, very ancient story. So this God had created or manifested Himself as the Vedas and these Vedas are practically infinite and He commanded man, having created, I have created a manual for you, you go and study. And then the man looked, the manual, part 1, part 2, part 3 is filling like this a thousand football stadiums filled from the basement to the ceiling only with these Vedas. That is why it is called Vedas are Ananta, not only Apaurushaya, but also Ananta. So who was the creator? Supposed to be Brahmadeva, Creator. So he ran and said, did you not say that you created a manual for me? Yes, of course, but my life is short, my buddhi is very small, how am I going to understand or even to read, it will take billions of years, let alone understand. Brahma said, that is true, I never thought about it, nobody told me about it, thank you very much. So he took up what is called a big mixie and put all the Vedic knowledge and then spread it out and it came out in the form of the three Vedas earlier, Varsha and he gave, that was even too much. The man took one look and said, I don't have time even to study part of one, let alone three. So what did he do? You please summarize it, simplify it for me. So Brahma looked at the man, understood, what did he understand? The man is intelligent, I am stupid, I am putting such a huge burden on this child who cannot understand, I should have understood him. So he put again each one of the Vedas, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda into the mixie and it is Brahma's created mixie. So it squeezed better than short GPT file and out came Bhuh, Bhuvaha, Suvaha. Bhuho, these are called Mahavyahrtis and he said to the man, look what a nice job I have done, you are not congratulating me. The man looked at him and said, this Bhu is the root cause of our Bhool, I cannot remember all those things, can you not make it simple? Brahma hewed a sign of despair and put each one of them, Bhuh, Bhuvaha and Suvaha, squeezed the juice out of it and came out Akara, Okara and Makara. Will this do? The man happily said, yes, this is manageable, I can deal with it. So, thank you very much, you have done a marvellous job, even though without my complaint you should have thought about it first and that is why, while we are chanting the Gayatri Mantra, we start with Om and elaborate it into Bhuh, Bhuvaha, Suvaha. By the way, that is not part of the Gayatri Mantra at all. Gayatri Mantra, real Gayatri is a meter, is a Chandas. The rule is, it must have three lines and each line must have eight letters. In total, there should be 24 letters. So this is called Gayatri Chandas, like Anustubh Chandas etc. So, Om Bhur Bhuva Suvaha is only to understand the essence but not reality. Tatsavitur Varenyam is supposed to be from Rig Veda, Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi is from Yajur Veda, Diyo Yonaha Prachodayat is from Sama Veda. They are all one only actually. So what is the meaning? Three important words, Vidmahe, Dhimahe, Prachodayat. So, our life is broken, full of suffering. So we want to become eternal, infinite and you are eternal, infinite and by knowing that only one infinity, one eternity can be there, all our problems will be solved. So for that purpose, we have to do Sadhana. But for Sadhana, we must have a very keen desire. That desire is expressed in the form of Vidmahe, that Mumukshutvam, that intense yearning, that is called, that is expressed as Vidmahe. And then what shall we do? Only your grace can reveal because who can reveal God? Only God can reveal God. Our ancients understood it. So Dhimahe, we surrender ourselves to you. Only when we surrender, then you will take over, not otherwise. So this is called Dhimahe. If 100% self-surrender is achieved, then he will take over, that is called Prachodayat, that is his Ahamkara, which is ruling our personality until now, is totally sacrificed, that is called Bali in common parlance. And when we succeed in trying to get rid of it, most of it, really we cannot do it, only God's grace can do it. Then that last bit can be removed only by God and He will remove. If we do the rest of the work, He will remove that last impossible task and then He will be succeeded. That is the realization, Aham Brahmasmi, that is the person's separation is completely gone. So again, why am I talking about Mahavakyas? There are four Mahavakyas, Tattvamasi, Aham Brahmasmi, Prajnanam Brahma, Ayam Atma Brahma, in the Mandukya Upanishad, the very second mantra tells us Ayam Atma Brahma. So what is the purport of this Purusha Suktam or Narayana Suktam or any Suktam for that matter? It is to say, the purpose is to know that who am I? As Ramana Bhagwan used to say, find out who you are. So what is the purport of any Mahavakya? It is transcending the Having mode into Being mode. Every sadhana starts with Having mode, ends up with Being mode. Every experience is a sadhana, in fact. Supposing you have a desire to eat a sweet, this is called Having mode. The desire starts with an activity, how to acquire, how to possess that sweet. This is called having mode. But possessing will not do, it has to be used, whether it is food or money or a house or a car or a refrigerator, anything. Possession will not help; it should be used. So, in this example of mine, you get the Rasagulla, still you are in the having mode and then you take it and you are hungry also, offer it to God perhaps if you are a devotee and you eat it. What happens when you eat? The distinction between the subject and the object, experiencer and the experienced, it completely disappears. Only one thing remains, that is called Mahavakya. So even in ordinary affairs, it is so, but there is a difference. That is what I am going to give as an introduction, so that we understand what is the real purport of any Suktam, especially I elaborated it in the Narayana Suktam. Narayana Suktam is a Mahavakya. What is the Mahavakya? Sarvam Kalvidam Narayanaha, everything is Narayana. What is the purport of Purusha Suktam? Sarvam Kalvidam Purushaha, what does the Upanishads say? What do they say? Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma, but there are steps there that we need to follow. So, there was one marvelous author, he was a social psychologist, he studies societies, his name is Eric Fromm, and he wrote many brilliant books. One of them is "To Be or To Have", and really brilliantly he analyzes our constitution and says, man is madly running after having more, never trying to enter into being more. That is the problem which very few people understand. Our ancient Rishis understood, the Rishis of any religion have understood, that is the meaning of God realization, means Being mode. God is somewhere, is a Having mode. Being mode means I am God, that is called Being mode. Swamiji brilliantly brings out this idea, so many people claim we are religious, but for them the meaning of religion is just like having a society lady as a beautiful nose ring, she has got fancy dress, she has got beautiful house, and she has what is called her own special God. That possession, I have a God, is only having more, and some of them are so mad really, they quarrel with each other. My psychologist, my psychiatrist is more famous, better psychiatrist than your psychiatrist, so who requires better psychiatrist, they don't have the brain to understand, unless you are terribly mad, you don't require, an ordinary psychologist would do. So I have a psychologist, I have a husband, I have a God, I have a house, I have a car, I have a religion. What is this more, this is called having more, but we have what is spirituality, moving from having more to being more. I have a God, is fine to begin with, but I am God, is the culmination of being more. So if you have time, and if you are sufficiently interested to know, please go through this book, at least the essential points of it, by Eric Fromm, E-R-I-C-F-R-O-M-M, to be or to have. So how does this work in spiritual life? I am giving this as an introduction, because it is a brilliant introduction. How does this work out in our day-to-day life? First, stop looking outward. Second, start looking inward. Third, purify the buddhi. How? Through Medha Suktam, surrender to the Divine Mother. Fourth, change the looking glass, buddhi. Progress is not going or gaining, but removing wrong notion and recovering the right notion. Smritir labdha, asto mohaha, smritir labdha, vad prasadat maheshwara. Arjuna categorically replies to Krishna. So this is the cognitive changing. It is not a gaining something. And this recovering the right smriti, that is called spiritual progress. Then slowly, see the Divine inside, because a person can see what He is. And Yatheshwara and Maharaj, my Guru, they used to say something very, very nice. They used to say, every person's concept of God depends upon his concept about himself. If a person thinks, I am a wretched fellow, then God is worse than that. If somebody is a depressed fellow, his God will be the most depressed. If somebody is a cruel fellow, his God or Goddess will be a cruel God or Goddess. This is called tribal mentality. So first, let us change the inside. That is done through the prayer to Medha Devi. That is why Medha Suktam is the first Suktam I have taken. See Divine inside and through that prism, let us see everything, whatever we see, Divine outside everywhere. This is the Purusha Suktam. So that is, see the God everywhere. And I will bring relevant examples from Shri Ramakrishna's vision. Let us take a living example. There was a great devotee of Shri Ramakrishna, a widow called Gopala's mother. How did she progress? First of all, through 33 years of unbroken Japam, she had attained Ishta Nishta. And especially, Shri Ramakrishna used to say, every Sadhaka, every aspirant must adopt a particular Bhava. I am a servant, I am a friend, I am a child, or I am the parent, or I am beloved. These are called Shanta, Dasya, Sakya, Vatsalya and Madhura Bhavas. So through unbroken remembrance of prayers, Sharanagati, for 33 years, this widow's life has been centered around only her Gopala. What is her Bhava? Madhura Bhava. Madhura means Vatsalya Bhava. She is the mother, God is the child, like Kausalya, like Yashoda. And after 33 years, God has brought her to Shri Ramakrishna. And the moment she came, she felt an inalienable attraction. And then very soon, she was sitting early morning, she had a vision of Gopala crawling all over her, because she was thinking of Gopala. Why should we say that she had a vision of Gopala? If you think of God as Rama, Rama will come. If you think of Kali, Kali will come. So if you think of Christ, Christ will come. That is how we have to think. Then next day, she came running to Dakshineswar. And then slowly the expansion of the inner vision, this Gopala started entering into Shri Ramakrishna and coming out, making even Gopala's mother understand, My Gopala means My God. Remember, when Gopala's mother is thinking of Krishna as her child, she is not thinking like any mother thinking of her beloved child, because the mother knows I am a limited being, my child also is a limited being. But Gopala's mother is thinking about God. So her purified mind knew that God is the only substance and I am also none other than God. It is not expressed in that way, but it started expressing in the form of having a vision. What is a vision? A continuous, constant, purified thought taking a concrete form is called a vision. And first she had a vision of Gopala. Still that Dwaita Bhava was there. Then this Gopala started entering into Shri Ramakrishna's body. This is the third stage. First stage is Ishta Nishta. Second stage is vision. Third stage is seeing Gopala, expanding Gopala not only in that vision, but in the living creature called Shri Ramakrishna. Fourth stage. Then this Gopala made her understand that I am not only in Shri Ramakrishna, I am in others also. So in the prominent disciples, devotees of Shri Ramakrishna, especially the future monastic members of Shri Ramakrishna like Swami Vekananda, Swami Brahmananda, Narendra, Tarak, Rakhal, etc. So slowly her vision, not only it is an inside vision, but now it is extended to the outside. When she looks inside, that is called Gopala. When she looks outside, that is also Gopala. Finally, after a few months, according to her reminiscences, she attended a chariot festival, Vathotsava, in a place called Panihate. And that day she said, I had universal vision like Arjuna had. Unlike Arjuna, she accepted everything joyfully. And from then onwards, she had started seeing God everywhere. Sarvam khalvidam Brahma. Instead of using the word Brahma, she used it to say, I am Gopala. So her name had become, she who could see Gopala everywhere, that is Gopala's mother. This is how the progress had happened in her case. Now you use your intelligence, imagination, apply this to Shri Ramakrishna, apply this to any saint and say, everybody has to go through the same process. So this is the pattern of spiritual progress of every seeker. Whatever religion, whatever yoga or system, school of philosophy, one may claim to be following. What is the important point? Again, I am coming back, having mode and being mode. So what is the mode of the worldly people? Preyas. Preyas is having mode. But he will slowly progress and he will enter into Shreyas mode. What is Shreyas? Is being mode. I have is having mode. I am is being mode. Religion is having mode. Spirituality is being mode. Bhoga is having mode. Yoga is being mode. And this is what Purusha Suktam wants to tell us crystal clearly. So what does this Purusha Suktam talk about? All about Brahman in both Saguna as well as Nirguna aspect. This was what Shri Ramakrishna is talking about continuously. But I culled some of his teachings, very important teachings and I am going to present it here. These are all the sayings of Shri Ramakrishna. Existence, knowledge, bliss absolute is one and one only. But it is associated with different limiting adjuncts on account of the different degrees of its manifestation. That is why one finds various forms of God. A devotee sings, Oh my Divine Mother, Thou art all these. Wherever you see actions like creation, preservation and dissolution, there is the manifestation of Shreya. Water is water, whether it is calm or full of waves and bubbles. Absolute alone is the primordial energy which creates, preserves and destroys. Thus it is the same, Captain, whether he remains inactive or performs his worship or pays a visit to the Governor General. Only we designate him by different names depending upon his activities. In the same state, Shri Ramakrishna said, addressing the devotees, that which is Brahman is verily Shakti. I address that again as the Mother. I call it Brahman when it is inactive and Shakti when it creates, preserves and destroys. It is like water, sometimes still, sometimes covered with waves. Incarnation of God is a part of the Leela of Shakti and Shri Ramakrishna continues. He and his power, Brahman and its power, nothing else exists but this. In a hymn to Rama, Narada once said, O Rama, you are Shiva and Sita is Bhagawati. You are Brahma and Sita is Brahmani. You are Indra, Sita is Indrani. You are Narayana, Sita is Lakshmi. O Rama, you are the symbol of all that is masculine and Sita of all that is feminine. This primal power, Mahamaya, has covered Brahman. What is Shri Ramakrishna saying? This primal power, Mahamaya, in our case it is manifesting as mind, in the form of the mind. Mind is Maya. What is mind? Time, space and causation. What is Maya? Time, space and causation. So this Mahamaya has covered Brahman. That is covered means what? It is like looking through a coloured glass. Suppose you have a yellow coloured glass. Usually if a person develops a disease called jaundice, it is said he sees everything as yellow. So as soon as the covering is withdrawn, one realises, I am what I was before. I am thou, thou art I. God alone is true. His manifestations as living beings and the world, Jeevan Jagat, are untrue in the sense non-eternal. Very, very, very alert we have to be. When we say untrue means non-existence, outside Brahman, other than Brahman. No, it means when we see through a moving prism, the unmoving appears to be as moving. Our perception of the unmoving because of the prism of our mind, that is called Nitya. But whatever we are experiencing is nothing but God only. We have to be very careful because so many times casual reading of this world Maya and Mithya can bring terrible misunderstanding. So the same personal deity known also as Ishwara, Maya and Shakti. When the Supreme Being, Ramakrishna continues, when the Supreme Being is thought of as actionless, neither creating, sustaining nor destroying, I call him by the name of Brahman or Purusha. But when I think of him as active, creating, sustaining and destroying, I call him by the name of Shakti or Maya or Prakruti. Very, very interesting statement. Every activity, whatever we do, whatever anybody does, falls under how many categories? Creation, sustenance and dissolution. Simple example, you are hungry, you want to eat food. So you create food, you prepare food or you buy food, but for buying you have to work hard, it all falls under creation. Then what do you do? So you keep it and especially if you are keeping in the refrigerator, that is called sustaining. And afterwards when it goes out of the power of sustenance, what will you do? Destroy. Every time you eat food, you have destroyed the food and it has become you. Aham annam asmi. And this is the same thing, you are seeing something, that is also annam. You are hearing something, that is also annam. What is the meaning? Annam is not only food, anything that goes inside us through any one of the five sense organs is called annam. Only we don't call it all the time annam. Only what the tongue tastes, mouth tastes, that is called annam. But no, everything is annam. The whole universe is nothing but annam and annadaha. Annam, food and the eater of the food or experiencer and what is experienced, subject and what is called object. So this is what Sriram Krishna is trying to tell. Don't think that all the Ishta Devatas, Gods and Goddesses are creations but they are the manifestations of the same Brahman. That manifestation is dependent not upon Brahman but upon my mind. If we can understand this simple fact, we can live in enmity, brotherhood and we can help each other. But if you think objectively there is a God and one God is superior to another God and fight, kill or convert, this is called tribal mentality. As Swami Vivekananda used to call, we are far from tribal mentality. We are all tribals only. That means we have not evolved much. If anybody says my religion is superior, he is a tribal living 50,000 years back. He has not progressed one iota in buddhi. Now coming back, the same Purusha Suktam. Purusha is what every Upanishad is talking about. Dvaha, Suparna, Sayuja, Sakaya, Samanam, Ruksham, Parishasva Jate in the Katha Upanishad or in the Bhagavad Gita which is nothing but the essence of all the Upanishads. So in the 15th chapter, At the end this Lord says, I am Uttama Purusha. So I am superior to Kshara, I am superior to Akshara and I transcend both Kshara and Akshara. That Purusha, we have already seen but any number of times we have to remember what is the meaning of Purusha. Purusha is not a male human being. Purusha means, there are many meanings are there. I will give you two meanings, many etymological meanings. Purushayate iti Purusha, he who is animating within every personality, body, mind complex, he is called Purusha. Second meaning is Purayati Sarvam iti Purusha, he who pervades everything, he who is everywhere and what is known as the Jagat or Vishwam, that is Purusha. That is why before uttering the word Vishnu, the word Vishwam comes first in the Vishnu Sahasranama. So this is the essence of the 15th chapter. So that is the Purusha we are talking about and Bhagavad Gita is much later but the idea has been taken from the Rig Veda itself. So Narayana in his form as Param Purusha, Purushottama, Virat Purusha, he is the source of all creation, means he is Brahman. He is also Shakti, he is Nirguna Brahman, he is also Saguna Brahman and this is what every Suptam practically wants to tell us. And so what is the benefit? A person who paralyzes everything as God, he will become Anandamaya Purusha, Paramananda. Even he transcends what is called Anandamaya Kosha. Etam Anandamayam Atmanam Upasankramati, just as the same person transcends Etam Annamayam Atmanam Upasankramati, Etam Manomayam Atmanam Upasankramati, Etam Anandamayam Atmanam Upasankramati. That is the source, Kaitriya Upanishad. This is the state of a realized soul, but he can come back, just as Shri Ramakrishna says, nobody can go inside the inner house, but a prince, a child of the king can go outside, can rush inside, he has access, a Jeevan Mukta has an access to both Nitya and Leela. That's what Shri Ramakrishna was commanded by the Divine Mother, Bhava Mukhe Thakur. Always live in the mood, either sometimes as Nitya, sometimes as Leela, but never anything else. There are only two states. So, to know the Purushottama is all, he is the Karana, he is the cause, he is the Srishti Ghartha, he is the Srishti Karya as well, and he is both Karana, Karya, Ateeta, he is beyond Karya, Karana, everything. This is the meaning, Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma, Sarvam Kalvidam Narayanaha, Sarvam Kalvidam Purushaha. So, this is the essence, if you have heard this essence, you have grasped not only the essence of Purushottama, but every Suttama, every Upanishad teaching, every Upanishad, every Gita, every scripture in the world. Then don't go on dancing, this will be the last time I will be attending the class, I got the essence, because very soon you will forget. It has to be yours, what you get is information, but when you do Sadhana, it will become knowledge. There is a huge gap between information and knowledge. Information remains only information. As Swami Ranganathanji Maharaj used to often give the quotation of somebody else about modern education. Modern education is that mysterious process by which all information passes from the notebooks of the professors on to the notebooks of the students without passing the brains of either. This is not what is wanted. That is why whether it is the story of Satyakama Jabala, or it is the story of Sukadeva, or it is the story of Swami Vivekananda, it is all this evolution from the having mode to the being mode. That is very important. I have a God is good, but I am God in the only realization, final realization. So like any other Suttams, Upanishads, Vedas, this Purushottama is also a traditional Shanti Patha about which we have discussed in our last class, but it is well worth to recollect it. We earnestly pray, pray the Divine that let everywhere be Shyam, Sukham, Shanti. What is it called? Let my Sadhana life be without any obstacles. What is Mangalam? Whatever destroys the obstacles, that is called Mangalam because life is a journey. But instead of saying it is a journey directly, the western scientists choose to call it evolution. Only pity is a stop with biological evolution. Whereas for Vedas tell the whole life is pictured as a journey. How is it pictured? This is beautifully brought out in the third chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad. How this earnest seeker approaches a Sadguru. It is not important to know he is the son and his father is a Brahmagnan. No, Yagnivalika when he was approached by Maitreya earlier, she was the wife, he was the husband. But when she approached as a Brahmagnani, seeker of Brahma, she was the spiritual seeker and he is the Divine Guru. Only in that relationship, teach me about God, teach me about Brahma, teach me about God. Then what is the first truth? I cannot really teach because Brahman cannot be described directly, but he can be described indirectly. And what did he say? My son, life starts from God, life continues, life is a travel from God, this is called evolution. And again we are going back to God, that is called evolution. And when we reach God, that is the end of this journey. So we started the journey with evolution, the end of the journey with final evolution, which is not to have only human birth, but which is to know Sarvam, not only Aham Brahmasmi, but Sarvam Kalvitam Brahma and further purpose, my body should be healthy, my mind should be healthy, my environment should be healthy, there should be no obstacles in any form whatsoever. And it is impossible to progress, thinking that I am separate from everybody. Everybody is none other than me. At least the seeker has what is called Upanishadic information that everything is God. So who is my neighbour? God. Who are my parents? God. Who is my teacher? God. Who are my friends? God. What about my enemies? They are also God. What about animals? They are also God. What about non-living things? They are also God. There is nothing other than God. That is the greatest truth that was discovered by our ancient Rishis. And so to help aspirants, they have chosen some particular things, for example, some birds, some trees, some plants, some animals, some human beings as representative of the special manifestation of God. And we see it is very clearly exposed, expounded where? In the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita called Vibhuti Yoga. And then in the end, a Lord says that other than me, nothing else exists. Everything is me only. Then he says, wherever you see special manifestation, because normal manifestation, as God takes longer time, special manifestation instantaneously attracts our attention. Yad Yad Vihoti Matsatvam Shri Madhur Jitamevava Tattva Deva Avagachatvam Mamate Jo Amsha Sambhavam A great musician, a great statesman, a great ruler, king, and a great Praja ruled, a great cook, a great painter, a great in any form, including the greatest wicked person. Am I joking with you? No. I am telling you the truth. So I use it to encounter this kind of questions. So every dictator in our country as well as outside, they are aspiring to become Hitlers. They only want to become hitmen. But most of the time, they are hit rather than hitting others because God is not manifesting in them. So think over deeply. Was it the Divine Mother or do you use empty words? Without the will of God, even a leaf will not move. Even an ant will not crawl. Shakali Tumari Ichcha. Is it only just an empty uttering of mechanical words or is it a fact? It is a fact because God is the creator. God is the creator. It is His own play. It is so difficult for us to understand. But one thing can help us that if you believe in the Karma theory, nobody can kill you, nobody can harm you, nobody can take anything from you unless you deserve to be killed, unless you deserve to be stolen, unless you deserve to be suffering, nobody can give. The others are instruments and you are an instrument. The same thing for other people also. So there are so many stupid, stupid, idiotic people I meet every time. I am a great devotee. Oh, what is your diet? Oh, I eat, you know, this Ilish match. So tasty. Oh, so you don't feel that you are eating God? No, no, no, no, it is God who created that food for me. So if you are really seeing God everywhere, because what can God create? Only God. So God is coming in the form of Ilish match. That is fine. But without knowing that fact, for your taste, you are going on doing all these things, so many unnecessary things and yet you claim to be, I am a great spiritual because I do some goody-goody japam or attending Swami Dayatmananda's classes. I must be a great spiritual person. I don't guarantee it. If you want to guarantee yourself, that is your headache. So what am I, what are we talking about? Nothing happens in this world. If anything happens, it happens because we deserve either good or bad. And if you don't believe in it, you don't believe the Vedas and if you don't believe in Vedas, you cannot be a good spiritual aspirant. Now come to terms with this. Everything that is happening in this world is by the sweet will of God and for good or bad. Because God is praised every day. Sarvamangalamangalye Shivye Sarvaarthasadhike Sharanya Triyambake Gauri Narayane Namaskute So we have to accept that idea. Then only we can understand what is the Purusha Sukta. Just to give you a hint, your friend is also, Purusha is coming in the form of your parents, your husband, your wife, your children and your boss, your well-wisher. Only her is coming in the form of your critic or the person who is trying to rob you or to kill you or to remove you from your job every single second. These are all things that are happening and if you only attend the class Purusha Sukta and doesn't try to understand it at least intellectually, then one has to be pitied for all those things. So that is why this beautiful prayer is there. We earnestly pray to God, let everybody be happy. Sarve chanah sukhino bhavantu sarve santu niramaya Ma kashchit dukha bhaag bhavet Let nobody suffer because if God is everything, who is suffering? God. Who is enjoying? God. And who am I? God. So if I am enjoying, who is enjoying? God. So we have to move from this having mode into the being mode for this wonderful prayer. And then the ritualists, the priests who are performing some Yagna because the Purusha Sukta is also all about how to transform one's life into a Yagna, continuous Yagna. Gaatuhin Yagnaaya, may we be able to sing thy glories. Gaatuhin Yagna Pataya, may we sing to you. So that let this ritual be perfect so that the person who organized it, took the trouble, sustained it, because of whom it is possible, let all blessings fall upon. He is called Yagna Pati, an organizer of this thing. Daiviyi Swasthirastunaha, may divine blessings be on all of us. What about other people? Swasthir Manushetia, what about Pakistanis? What about Chinese? What about the resident of China? Should you pray for his welfare or not? Yes. Is he doing something against God's will or is he doing something with God's will? Divine Mother said as we say, think over it deeply. Swasthir Manushetia, not only that, nobody can be sustained without food. Food comes predominantly from plants. Plants are eaten by other animals. So man eats both plants and animals. So Uddham Jigathu Bheshajam, Bheshajam means medicine. So let all these medicinal plants grow beautifully as they are meant to grow by the grace of God. Shennom Astudhipati, all the two-legged creatures like human beings, like birds, etc. Let God bless them with all the best things. Shemchatushpati, not only two-legged, all the cows, all the buffaloes, all the horses, there are billions of creatures who move only on four legs, even including monkeys. So let them all, let God's grace be bestowed upon everything. Nothing should be excluded and if that happens and if the prayer is sincere, definitely God will fulfil at least for that person and then what happens? That person will be able to move, to easily transit from having mode to being mode. O Lord, please protect us from the three tapas. Adhyatmika, that is trouble stemming from my own body and mind. Adhibhautika, whatever I come across, whether I come across or not, whether it be neighbours, weather, climate, rivers, mountains, earthquakes, let there be only beneficial reactions from there. And there are Gods, if there are rules, there should be enforcers of the rule. They are called Adhibhautika Devatas. So let them bless us, let there be, because of their blessings, let there be no suffering, no affliction from any source. Then only I can make my travel easier and for that prayer is very necessary. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. We will talk about the first mantra of the Purusha Suktam in our next class. Why did I go through all this introduction? Because once we know what we are going about, like this is like a preface in a huge book. Every good author has to write what, in short paragraphs, he tries to explain what you are going to get in this entire book and if he is a good writer at the end, he will also summarize it and that is the methodology whether we are speaking, whether we are writing or whether we are listening also, we must follow the same methodology.

We have started studying this most marvelous suktam called Purusha Suktam. I mentioned earlier that different sects, they do not chant merely one suktam. What is called Pancha Suktam, meaning five suktams. But in South India, especially in the Vaishnava community, the Pancha Suktams are slightly different. Naturally, Vaishnavas include what is called related to Vishnu. What are the Suktams? Purusha Suktam, Narayana Suktam, Sri Suktam, Bhu Suktam and Neela Suktam. And this Purusha Suktam specialty, it is practically seen in all the Vedas. That is why it is considered as the very essence of the Vedas. And this Suktam, what is it about? It is everything to do with Purusha. That is why it is called Purusha Suktam. And this equation is famously given in Tat Tvam Asi Aham Brahma Asmi. What does it mean? The scriptures of Hinduism are called Vedas. And these Vedas, Veda is only one, but divided by Veda Vyasa into four categories. First actually, there were only three. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda. That is why they are called three Vedas. And accordingly Brahmadeva also is depicted as having three faces. But later on a great Rishi had come. His name was Atharvana and he became very popular. So there was no choice but to add all his discoveries also into the Vedic literature. So it came to be Atharvana Veda, fourth Veda. So now whenever you see Brahma having four faces, but personification, imagery of knowledge that is obtained in the four Vedas as Brahma. Moreover, it is also said creation, sustenance and dissolution take place because of the Vedas, Vedic knowledge. That's why even Brahma, he created a mould as it were and once he prepared the mould, every time he pours the raw material which is himself into that mould, which is called this world, creation. Everything created is nothing but himself because there is nothing besides him. That is why an important Vedic concept, Vedantic concept is Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karana. Who is God? He is the both intelligent cause as well as material cause of this entire universe. But at the same time, he can also be thought about not as a cause but as a non-cause. He is the Karya effect, he is the Karana, the cause, he is Karana Karya Ateeta and that is what Advaita Vedanta wants to emphasize. So that idea, there is no actual creation, it is only seeming creation. To indicate this, the Upanishads, essence of the Vedas are stating this truth that there is nothing excepting Brahman. Of course, this concept, understanding can be done only by conscious beings, living beings. Of all conscious beings, not by everybody but only by human beings. Of all human beings, only the highly evolved human being can really understand this concept. So that is why it is called Mahavakya, the greatest piece of knowledge. How many Mahavakyas are there? Plenty of Mahavakyas are there. Why am I talking about Mahavakya while talking about Purusha Sukta? Because Purusha Sukta is nothing but elaboration of Mahavakya practically with every sentence. Every sentence, every line is only speaking of this Mahavakya. But because of our poor memory, some wise sages have selected from each Veda only one Mahavakya. In fact, there is a funny story, very ancient story. So this God had created or manifested Himself as the Vedas and these Vedas are practically infinite and He commanded man, having created, I have created a manual for you, you go and study. And then the man looked, the manual, part 1, part 2, part 3 is filling like this a thousand football stadiums filled from the basement to the ceiling only with these Vedas. That is why it is called Vedas are Ananta, not only Apaurushaya, but also Ananta. So who was the creator? Supposed to be Brahmadeva, Creator. So he ran and said, did you not say that you created a manual for me? Yes, of course, but my life is short, my buddhi is very small, how am I going to understand or even to read, it will take billions of years, let alone understand. Brahma said, that is true, I never thought about it, nobody told me about it, thank you very much. So he took up what is called a big mixie and put all the Vedic knowledge and then spread it out and it came out in the form of the three Vedas earlier Varsha and he gave, that was even too much. The man took one look and said, I don't have time even to study part of one, let alone three. So what did he do? You please summarize it, simplify it for me. So Brahma looked at the man, understood, what did he understand? The man is intelligent, I am stupid, I am putting such a huge burden on this child who cannot understand, I should have understood him. So he put again each one of the Vedas, Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda into the mixie and it is Brahma's created mixie. So, it squeezed better than short GPT file and out came Bhuhu, Bhuvaha, Suvaha. Bhuho, these are called Maha Vyakrutis and he said to the man, look what a nice job I have done, you are not congratulating me. The man looked at him and said, this Bhu is the root cause of our Bhool, I cannot remember all those things, can you not make it simple? Brahma hewed a sign of despair and put each one of them, Bhuho, Bhuvaha and Suvaha, squeezed the juice out of it and came out Akara, Okara and Makara. Will this do? The man happily said, yes, this is manageable, I can deal with it. So thank you very much, you have done a marvellous job, even though without my complaint you should have thought about it first and that is why, while we are chanting the Gayatri Mantra, we start with Om and elaborate it into Bhuho, Bhuvaha, Suvaha. By the way, that is not part of the Gayatri Mantra at all. Gayatri Mantra, real Gayatri is a meter, is a Chandas. The rule is, it must have three lines and each line must have eight letters. In total, there should be 24 letters. So this is called Gayatri Chandas, like Anustubh Chandas etc. So, Om Bhur Bhuva Suvaha is only to understand the essence but not really. Tat Savitur Varenyam is supposed to be from Rig Veda, Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi is from Yajur Veda, Dhiyo Yo nah Prachodayat is from Sama Veda. They are all one only actually. So what is the meaning? Three important words, Idmahe, Dheemahe, Prachodayat. So, our life is broken, full of suffering. So, we want to become eternal, infinite and you are eternal, infinite and by knowing that only one infinity, one eternity can be there, all our problems will be solved. So for that purpose, we have to do Sadhana. But for Sadhana, we must have a very keen desire. That desire is expressed in the form of Vidmahe, that Mumukshutvam, that intense yearning, that is called, that is expressed as Vidmahe. And then what shall we do? Only your grace can reveal because who can reveal God? Only God can reveal God. Our ancients understood it. So Dheemahe, we surrender ourselves to you. Only when we surrender, then you will take over, not otherwise. So this is called Dheemahe. If 100% self-surrender is achieved, then he will take over, that is called Prachodayat, that is his Ahamkara, which is ruling our personality until now, is totally sacrificed, that is called Bali in common parlance. And when we succeed in trying to get rid of it, most of it, really we cannot do it, only God's grace can do it. Then that last bit can be removed only by God and He will remove. If we do the rest of the work, He will remove that last impossible task and then He will be succeeded. That is the realization, Aham Brahmasmi, that is the person's separation is completely gone. So again, why am I talking about Mahavakyas? There are four Mahavakyas, Tattvamasi, Aham Brahmasmi, Prajnanam Brahma, Ayam Atma Brahma, in the Mandukya Upanishad, the very second mantra tells us Ayam Atma Brahma. So what is the purport of this Purusha Suktam or Narayana Suktam or any Suktam for that matter? It is to say, the purpose is to know that who am I? As Ramana Bhagwan used to say, find out who you are. So what is the purport of any Mahavakya? It is transcending the Having mode into Being mode. Every sadhana starts with having mode, ends up with being mode. Every experience is a sadhana, in fact. Supposing you have a desire to eat a sweet, this is called having mode. The desire starts with an activity, how to acquire, how to possess that sweet. This is called having mode. But possessing will not do, it has to be used, whether it is food or money or a house or a car or a refrigerator, anything. Possession will not help, it should be used. So in this example of mine, you get the Rasagulla, still you are in the having mode and then you take it and you are hungry also, offer it to God perhaps if you are a devotee and you eat it. What happens when you eat? The distinction between the subject and the object, experiencer and the experienced, it completely disappears. Only one thing remains, that is called Mahavakya. So even in ordinary affairs, it is so, but there is a difference. That is what I am going to give as an introduction, so that we understand what is the real purport of any Suktam, especially I elaborated it in the Narayana Suktam. Narayana Suktam is a Mahavakya. What is the Mahavakya? Sarvam Kalvidam Narayanaha, everything is Narayana. What is the purport of Purusha Suktam? Sarvam Kalvidam Purushaha. What does the Upanishads say? What do they say? Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma, but there are steps are there, that is what we need to follow. So there was one marvelous author, he was a social psychologist, he studies societies, his name is Eric Fromm, and he wrote many brilliant books. One of them is To Be or To Have, and really brilliantly he analyzes our constitution and says, man is madly running after having more, never trying to enter into being more. That is the problem which very few people understand. Our ancient Rishis understood, the Rishis of any religion have understood, that is the meaning of God realization, means being more. God is somewhere, is a having more. Being more means I am God, that is called being more. Swamiji brilliantly brings out this idea, so many people claim we are religious, but for them the meaning of religion is just like having a society lady as a beautiful nose ring, she has got fancy dress, she has got beautiful house, and she has what is called her own special God. That possession, I have a God, is only having more, and some of them are so mad really, they quarrel with each other. My psychologist, my psychiatrist is more famous, better psychiatrist than your psychiatrist, so who requires better psychiatrist, they don't have the brain to understand, unless you are terribly mad, you don't require, an ordinary psychologist would do. So I have a psychologist, I have a husband, I have a God, I have a house, I have a car, I have a religion. What is this mode, this is called having mode, but we have what is spirituality, moving from having mode to being mode. I have a God, is fine to begin with, but I am God, is the culmination of being mode. So if you have time, and if you are sufficiently interested to know, please go through this book, at least the essential points of it, by Eric Fromm, E-R-I-C-F-R-O-M-M, To Be or To Have. So how does this work in spiritual life? I am giving this as an introduction, because it is a brilliant introduction. How does this work out in our day-to-day life? First, stop looking outward. Second, start looking inward. Third, purify the buddhi. How? Through Medha Suktam, surrender to the Divine Mother. Fourth, change the looking glass, buddhi. Progress is not going or gaining, but removing wrong notion and recovering the right notion. Smritir labdha, nasto mohaha, smritir labdha, vad prasadat maheshwara. Arjuna categorically replies to Krishna. So this is the cognitive changing. It is not a gaining something. And this recovering the right smriti, that is called spiritual progress. Then slowly, see the Divine inside, because a person can see what He is. And Yatheshwarananda Maharaj, my Guru, they used to say something very, very nice. They used to say, every person's concept of God depends upon his concept about himself. If a person thinks, I am a wretched fellow, then God is worse than that. If somebody is a depressed fellow, his God will be the most depressed. If somebody is a cruel fellow, his God or Goddess will be a cruel God or Goddess. This is called tribal mentality. So first, let us change the inside. That is done through the prayer to Medha Devi. That is why Medha Suktam is the first Suktam I have taken. See Divine inside and through that prism. Let us see everything, whatever we see, Divine outside everywhere. This is the Purusha Suktam. So that is, see the God everywhere. And I will bring relevant examples from Shri Ramakrishna's vision.(20:51) Let us take a living example. There was a great devotee of Shri Ramakrishna, a widow called Gopala's mother. How did she progress? First of all, through 33 years of unbroken Japam, she had attained Ishta Nishta. And especially, Shri Ramakrishna used to say, every Sadhaka, every aspirant must adopt a particular Bhava. I am a servant, I am a friend, I am a child, or I am the parent, or I am beloved. These are called Shanta, Dasya, Sakya, Vatsalya and Madhura Bhavas. So through unbroken remembrance of prayers, Sharanagati, for 33 years, this widow's life has been centered around only her Gopala. What is her Bhava? Madhura Bhava. Madhura means Vatsalya Bhava. She is the mother, God is the child, like Kausalya, like Yashoda. And after 33 years, God has brought her to Shri Ramakrishna. And the moment she came, she felt an inalienable attraction. And then very soon, she was sitting early morning, she had a vision of Gopala crawling all over her, because she was thinking of Gopala. Why should we say that she had a vision of Gopala? If you think of God as Rama, Rama will come. If you think of Kali, Kali will come. So if you think of Christ, Christ will come. That is how we have to think. Then next day, she came running to Dakshineswar. And then slowly the expansion of the inner vision, this Gopala started entering into Shri Ramakrishna and coming out, making even Gopala's mother understand, My Gopala means My God. Remember, when Gopala's mother is thinking of Krishna as her child, she is not thinking like any mother thinking of her beloved child, because the mother knows I am a limited being, my child also is a limited being. But Gopala's mother is thinking about God. So her purified mind knew that God is the only substance and I am also none other than God. It is not expressed in that way, but it started expressing in the form of having a vision. What is a vision? A continuous, constant, purified thought taking a concrete form is called a vision. And first she had a vision of Gopala. Still that Dwaita Bhava was there. Then this Gopala started entering into Shri Ramakrishna's body. This is the third stage. First stage is Ishta Nishta. Second stage is vision. Third stage is seeing Gopala, expanding Gopala not only in that vision, but in the living creature called Shri Ramakrishna. Fourth stage. Then this Gopala made her understand that I am not only in Shri Ramakrishna, I am in others also. So in the prominent disciples, devotees of Shri Ramakrishna, especially the future monastic members of Shri Ramakrishna like Swami Vekananda, Swami Brahmananda, Narendra, Tarak, Rakhal, etc. So slowly her vision, not only it is an inside vision, but now it is extended to the outside. When she looks inside, that is called Gopala. When she looks outside, that is also Gopala. Finally, after a few months, according to her reminiscences, she attended a chariot festival, Vathotsava, in a place called Panihate. And that day she said, I had universal vision like Arjuna had. Unlike Arjuna, she accepted everything joyfully. And from then onwards, she had started seeing God everywhere. Sarvam khalvidam Brahma. Instead of using the word Brahma, she used it to say, I am Gopala. So her name had become, she who could see Gopala everywhere, that is Gopala's mother. This is how the progress had happened in her case. Now you use your intelligence, imagination, apply this to Shri Ramakrishna, apply this to any saint and say, everybody has to go through the same process. So this is the pattern of spiritual progress of every seeker. Whatever religion, whatever yoga or system, school of philosophy, one may claim to be following. What is the important point? Again, I am coming back, having mode and being mode. So what is the mode of the worldly people? Preyas. Preyas is having mode. But he will slowly progress and he will enter into Shreyas mode. What is Shreyas? Is being mode. I have is having mode. I am is being mode. Religion is having mode. Spirituality is being mode. Bhoga is having mode. Yoga is being mode. And this is what Purusha Suktam wants to tell us crystal clearly. So what does this Purusha Suktam talk about? All about Brahman in both Saguna as well as Nirguna aspect. This was what Shri Ramakrishna is talking about continuously. But I culled some of his teachings, very important teachings and I am going to present it here. These are all the sayings of Shri Ramakrishna. Existence, knowledge, bliss absolute is one and one only. But it is associated with different limiting adjuncts on account of the different degrees of its manifestation. That is why one finds various forms of God. A devotee sings, Oh my Divine Mother, Thou art all these. Wherever you see actions like creation, preservation and dissolution, there is the manifestation of Shreya. Water is water, whether it is calm or full of waves and bubbles. Absolute alone is the primordial energy which creates, preserves and destroys. Thus it is the same, Captain, whether he remains inactive or performs his worship or pays a visit to the Governor General. Only we designate him by different names depending upon his activities. In the same state, Shri Ramakrishna said, addressing the devotees, that which is Brahman is verily Shakti. I address that again as the Mother. I call it Brahman when it is inactive and Shakti when it creates, preserves and destroys. It is like water, sometimes still, sometimes covered with waves. Incarnation of God is a part of the Leela of Shakti and Shri Ramakrishna continues. He and his power, Brahman and its power, nothing else exists but this. In a hymn to Rama, Narada once said, O Rama, you are Shiva and Sita is Bhagawati. You are Brahma and Sita is Brahmani. You are Indra, Sita is Indrani. You are Narayana, Sita is Lakshmi. O Rama, you are the symbol of all that is masculine and Sita of all that is feminine. This primal power, Mahamaya, has covered Brahman. What is Shri Ramakrishna saying? This primal power, Mahamaya, in our case it is manifesting as mind, in the form of the mind. Mind is Maya. What is mind? Time, space and causation. What is Maya? Time, space and causation. So this Mahamaya has covered Brahman. That is covered means what? It is like looking through a coloured glass. Suppose you have a yellow coloured glass. Usually if a person develops a disease called jaundice, it is said he sees everything as yellow. So as soon as the covering is withdrawn, one realises, I am what I was before. I am thou, thou art I. God alone is true. His manifestations as living beings and the world, Jeevan Jagat, are untrue in the sense non-eternal. Very, very, very alert we have to be. When we say untrue means non-existence, outside Brahman, other than Brahman. No, it means when we see through a moving prism, the unmoving appears to be as moving. Our perception of the unmoving because of the prism of our mind, that is called Nitya. But whatever we are experiencing is nothing but God only. We have to be very careful because so many times casual reading of this world Maya and Mithya can bring terrible misunderstanding. So the same personal deity known also as Ishwara, Maya and Shakti. When the Supreme Being, Ramakrishna continues, when the Supreme Being is thought of as actionless, neither creating, sustaining nor destroying, I call him by the name of Brahman or Purusha. But when I think of him as active, creating, sustaining and destroying, I call him by the name of Shakti or Maya or Prakruti. Very, very interesting statement. Every activity, whatever we do, whatever anybody does, falls under how many categories? Creation, sustenance and dissolution. Simple example, you are hungry, you want to eat food. So you create food, you prepare food or you buy food, but for buying you have to work hard, it all falls under creation. Then what do you do? So you keep it and especially if you are keeping in the refrigerator, that is called sustaining. And afterwards when it goes out of the power of sustenance, what will you do? Destroy. Every time you eat food, you have destroyed the food and it has become you. Aham annam asmi. And this is the same thing, you are seeing something, that is also annam. You are hearing something, that is also annam. What is the meaning? Annam is not only food, anything that goes inside us through any one of the five sense organs is called annam. Only we don't call it all the time annam. Only what the tongue tastes, mouth tastes, that is called annam. But no, everything is annam. The whole universe is nothing but annam and annadaha. Annam, food and the eater of the food or experiencer and what is experienced, subject and what is called object. So this is what Sriram Krishna is trying to tell. Don't think that all the Ishta Devatas, Gods and Goddesses are creations but they are the manifestations of the same Brahman. That manifestation is dependent not upon Brahman but upon my mind. If we can understand this simple fact, we can live in enmity, brotherhood and we can help each other. But if you think objectively there is a God and one God is superior to another God and fight, kill or convert, this is called tribal mentality. As Swami Vivekananda used to call, we are far from tribal mentality. We are all tribals only. That means we have not evolved much. If anybody says my religion is superior, he is a tribal living 50,000 years back. He has not progressed one iota in buddhi. Now coming back, the same Purusha Suktam. Purusha is what every Upanishad is talking about. Dvaha, Suparna, Sayuja, Sakaya, Samanam, Ruksham, Parishasva Jate in the Katha Upanishad or in the Bhagavad Gita which is nothing but the essence of all the Upanishads. So in the 15th chapter, At the end this Lord says, I am Uttama Purusha. So I am superior to Kshara, I am superior to Akshara and I transcend both Kshara and Akshara. That Purusha, we have already seen but any number of times we have to remember what is the meaning of Purusha. Purusha is not a male human being. Purusha means, there are many meanings are there. I will give you two meanings, many etymological meanings. Purushayate iti Purusha, he who is animating within every personality, body, mind complex, he is called Purusha. Second meaning is Purayati Sarvam iti Purusha, he who pervades everything, he who is everywhere and what is known as the Jagat or Vishwam, that is Purusha. That is why before uttering the word Vishnu, the word Vishwam comes first in the Vishnu Sahasranama. So this is the essence of the 15th chapter. So that is the Purusha we are talking about and Bhagavad Gita is much later but the idea has been taken from the Rig Veda itself. So Narayana in his form as Param Purusha, Purushottama, Virat Purusha, he is the source of all creation, means he is Brahman. He is also Shakti, he is Nirguna Brahman, he is also Saguna Brahman and this is what every Suptam practically wants to tell us. And so what is the benefit? A person who paralyzes everything as God, he will become Anandamaya Purusha, Paramananda. Even he transcends what is called Anandamaya Kosha. Etam Anandamayam Atmanam Upasankramati, just as the same person transcends Etam Annamayam Atmanam Upasankramati, Etam Manomayam Atmanam Upasankramati, Etam Anandamayam Atmanam Upasankramati. That is the source, Kaitriya Upanishad. This is the state of a realized soul, but he can come back, just as Shri Ramakrishna says, nobody can go inside the inner house, but a prince, a child of the king can go outside, can rush inside, he has access, a Jeevan Mukta has an access to both Nitya and Leela. That's what Shri Ramakrishna was commanded by the Divine Mother, Bhava Mukhe Thakur. Always live in the mood, either sometimes as Nitya, sometimes as Leela, but never anything else. There are only two states. So, to know the Purushottama is all, he is the Karana, he is the cause, he is the Srishti Ghartha, he is the Srishti Karya as well, and he is both Karana, Karya, Ateeta, he is beyond Karya, Karana, everything. This is the meaning, Sarvam Kalvidam Brahma, Sarvam Kalvidam Narayanaha, Sarvam Kalvidam Purushaha. So, this is the essence, if you have heard this essence, you have grasped not only the essence of Purushottama, but every Suttama, every Upanishad teaching, every Upanishad, every Gita, every scripture in the world. Then don't go on dancing, this will be the last time I will be attending the class, I got the essence, because very soon you will forget. It has to be yours, what you get is information, but when you do Sadhana, it will become knowledge. There is a huge gap between information and knowledge. Information remains only information. As Swami Ranganathanji Maharaj used to often give the quotation of somebody else about modern education. Modern education is that mysterious process by which all information passes from the notebooks of the professors on to the notebooks of the students without passing the brains of either. This is not what is wanted. That is why whether it is the story of Satyakama Jabala, or it is the story of Sukadeva, or it is the story of Swami Vivekananda, it is all this evolution from the having mode to the being mode. That is very important. I have a God is good, but I am God in the only realization, final realization. So like any other Suttams, Upanishads, Vedas, this Purushottama is also a traditional Shanti Patha about which we have discussed in our last class, but it is well worth to recollect it. We earnestly pray, pray the Divine that let everywhere be Shyam, Sukham, Shanti. What is it called? Let my Sadhana life be without any obstacles. What is Mangalam? Whatever destroys the obstacles, that is called Mangalam because life is a journey. But instead of saying it is a journey directly, the western scientists choose to call it evolution. Only pity is a stop with biological evolution. Whereas for Vedas tell the whole life is pictured as a journey. How is it pictured? This is beautifully brought out in the third chapter of the Aitareya Upanishad. How this earnest seeker approaches a Sadguru. It is not important to know he is the son and his father is a Brahmagnan. No, Yagnivalika when he was approached by Maitreya earlier, she was the wife, he was the husband. But when she approached as a Brahmagnani, seeker of Brahma, she was the spiritual seeker and he is the Divine Guru. Only in that relationship, teach me about God, teach me about Brahma, teach me about God. Then what is the first truth? I cannot really teach because Brahman cannot be described directly, but he can be described indirectly. And what did he say? My son, life starts from God, life continues, life is a travel from God, this is called evolution. And again we are going back to God, that is called evolution. And when we reach God, that is the end of this journey. So we started the journey with evolution, the end of the journey with final evolution, which is not to have only human birth, but which is to know Sarvam, not only Aham Brahmasmi, but Sarvam Kalvitam Brahma and further purpose, my body should be healthy, my mind should be healthy, my environment should be healthy, there should be no obstacles in any form whatsoever. And it is impossible to progress, thinking that I am separate from everybody. Everybody is none other than me. At least the seeker has what is called Upanishadic information that everything is God. So who is my neighbour? God. Who are my parents? God. Who is my teacher? God. Who are my friends? God. What about my enemies? They are also God. What about animals? They are also God. What about non-living things? They are also God. There is nothing other than God. That is the greatest truth that was discovered by our ancient Rishis. And so to help aspirants, they have chosen some particular things, for example, some birds, some trees, some plants, some animals, some human beings as representative of the special manifestation of God. And we see it is very clearly exposed, expounded where? In the 10th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita called Vibhuti Yoga. And then in the end, a Lord says that other than me, nothing else exists. Everything is me only. Then he says, wherever you see special manifestation, because normal manifestation, as God takes longer time, special manifestation instantaneously attracts our attention. Yad Yad Vihoti Matsatvam Shri Madhur Jitamevava Tattva Deva Avagachatvam Mamate Jo Amsha Sambhavam A great musician, a great statesman, a great ruler, king, and a great Praja ruled, a great cook, a great painter, a great in any form, including the greatest wicked person. Am I joking with you? No. I am telling you the truth. So I use it to encounter this kind of questions. So every dictator in our country as well as outside, they are aspiring to become Hitlers. They only want to become hitmen. But most of the time, they are hit rather than hitting others because God is not manifesting in them. So think over deeply. Was it the Divine Mother or do you use empty words? Without the will of God, even a leaf will not move. Even an ant will not crawl. Shakali Tumari Ichcha. Is it only just an empty uttering of mechanical words or is it a fact? It is a fact because God is the creator. God is the creator. It is His own play. It is so difficult for us to understand. But one thing can help us that if you believe in the Karma theory, nobody can kill you, nobody can harm you, nobody can take anything from you unless you deserve to be killed, unless you deserve to be stolen, unless you deserve to be suffering, nobody can give. The others are instruments and you are an instrument. The same thing for other people also. So there are so many stupid, stupid, idiotic people I meet every time. I am a great devotee. Oh, what is your diet? Oh, I eat, you know, this Ilish match. So tasty. Oh, so you don't feel that you are eating God? No, no, no, no, it is God who created that food for me. So if you are really seeing God everywhere, because what can God create? Only God. So God is coming in the form of Ilish match. That is fine. But without knowing that fact, for your taste, you are going on doing all these things, so many unnecessary things and yet you claim to be, I am a great spiritual because I do some goody-goody japam or attending Swami Dayatmananda's classes. I must be a great spiritual person. I don't guarantee it. If you want to guarantee yourself, that is your headache. So what am I, what are we talking about? Nothing happens in this world. If anything happens, it happens because we deserve either good or bad. And if you don't believe in it, you don't believe the Vedas and if you don't believe in Vedas, you cannot be a good spiritual aspirant. Now come to terms with this. Everything that is happening in this world is by the sweet will of God and for good or bad. Because God is praised every day. Sarvamangalamangalye Shivye Sarvaarthasadhike Sharanya Triyambake Gauri Narayane Namaskute So we have to accept that idea. Then only we can understand what is the Purusha Sukta. Just to give you a hint, your friend is also, Purusha is coming in the form of your parents, your husband, your wife, your children and your boss, your well-wisher. Only her is coming in the form of your critic or the person who is trying to rob you or to kill you or to remove you from your job every single second. These are all things that are happening and if you only attend the class Purusha Sukta and doesn't try to understand it at least intellectually, then one has to be pitied for all those things. So that is why this beautiful prayer is there. We earnestly pray to God, let everybody be happy. Sarve chanah sukhino bhavantu sarve santu niramaya Ma kashchit dukha bhaag bhavet Let nobody suffer because if God is everything, who is suffering? God. Who is enjoying? God. And who am I? God. So if I am enjoying, who is enjoying? God. So we have to move from this having mode into the being mode for this wonderful prayer. And then the ritualists, the priests who are performing some Yagna because the Purusha Sukta is also all about how to transform one's life into a Yagna, continuous Yagna. Gaatuhin Yagnaaya, may we be able to sing thy glories. Gaatuhin Yagna Pataya, may we sing to you. So that let this ritual be perfect so that the person who organized it, took the trouble, sustained it, because of whom it is possible, let all blessings fall upon. He is called Yagna Pati, an organizer of this thing. Daiviyi Swasthirastunaha, may divine blessings be on all of us. What about other people? Swasthir Manushetia, what about Pakistanis? What about Chinese? What about the resident of China? Should you pray for his welfare or not? Yes. Is he doing something against God's will or is he doing something with God's will? Divine Mother said as we say, think over it deeply. Swasthir Manushetia, not only that, nobody can be sustained without food. Food comes predominantly from plants. Plants are eaten by other animals. So man eats both plants and animals. So Uddham Jigathu Bheshajam, Bheshajam means medicine. So let all these medicinal plants grow beautifully as they are meant to grow by the grace of God. Shennom Astudhipati, all the two-legged creatures like human beings, like birds, etc. Let God bless them with all the best things. Shemchatushpati, not only two-legged, all the cows, all the buffaloes, all the horses, there are billions of creatures who move only on four legs, even including monkeys. So let them all, let God's grace be bestowed upon everything. Nothing should be excluded and if that happens and if the prayer is sincere, definitely God will fulfil at least for that person and then what happens? That person will be able to move, to easily transit from having mode to being mode. O Lord, please protect us from the three tapas. Adhyatmika, that is trouble stemming from my own body and mind. Adhibhautika, whatever I come across, whether I come across or not, whether it be neighbours, weather, climate, rivers, mountains, earthquakes, let there be only beneficial reactions from there. And there are Gods, if there are rules, there should be enforcers of the rule. They are called Adhibhautika Devatas. So let them bless us, let there be, because of their blessings, let there be no suffering, no affliction from any source. Then only I can make my travel easier and for that prayer is very necessary. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. We will talk about the first mantra of the Purusha Suktam in our next class. Why did I go through all this introduction? Because once we know what we are going about, like this is like a preface in a huge book. Every good author has to write what, in short paragraphs, he tries to explain what you are going to get in this entire book and if he is a good writer at the end, he will also summarize it and that is the methodology whether we are speaking, whether we are writing or whether we are listening also, we must follow the same methodology.