Aitareya Upanishad Lecture 06 on 20 August 2023

Full Transcript(Not Corrected)

Om Jananim Sharadaam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagadgurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohor Moho Om Vagme Manasi Pratishtita Manome Vachi Pratishtitam Aavir Aavir Mayidhe Vedasyam Anistah Shrutam Ema Prahasi Rane Nadhite Nahu Ratran Sandhadyam Ritam Vadishyami Satyam Vadishyami Tanmaam Avatu Tad Vaktaram Avatu Avatu Maam Avatu Vaktaram Avatu Vaktaram Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Hari Om Om May my speech be fixed in my mind. May my mind be fixed in my speech. O Self-Luminous Brahman, be manifest unto me. O Mind and Speech, may you bring me the meaning of the Vedas. May what I study from the Vedas never leave me. I shall strive day and night through this study to approach you. I shall think of the right. I shall speak of the right. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. May Brahman protect me. May Brahman protect the teacher. Om Peace Peace Peace be unto all. We have been studying the Ayatareya Upanishad. So far we have seen three mantras. The very first mantra tells us that everything is Atman or Brahman. Om Atmava Idam Ekaha Eva Agre Asir Na Anyat Kinchana Mishat Besides Atman, there was nothing before the creation of this universe. Which means that even after the creation, it is Atman only. Why? Because for the creation of any object, we require a material. We also require an intelligent conscious being to think what I would like to create. But here, Atman alone and it created. The very word it created means he is intelligent. This is called Nimitta Karana. But what about the material? There was no other material, therefore he himself became the universe. Abhinna Nimitta Upadana Karanam And he thought, let me create the worlds. Sai Ikshata Lokannu Shrujaithi May I create the worlds. Why? For that, Bhagawan Shankaracharya gives two reasons. One reason is the creation of the world is exclusively meant to exhaust all our karma phalas. But then the doubt comes that the world itself is not created. Where from have we then created our past karma? To that the answer is, Bhagawan doesn't create this world, it is ever going on. Nobody creates, it is Anadi, beginningless. But what does he do? Occasionally, he makes all of us, the whole universe, go to sleep. Every individual, we go to sleep several times a day to get rest and recoup. Similarly, Bhagawan being Virat Purusha, universal being, he makes every created thing go into itself for some time, so that it can rest and recuperate. So we have had many past lives, so we have done a lot of good and bad things. Accordingly, we require to experience karma phala in the form of Sukha and Dukha, in the form of Jati, Ayush and Bhoga, Sukha Dukha. For that purpose, the worlds are created. This is the first meaning. The second purpose is so that we can wake up and do sadhana and realize who we are. So he created. Creation means he merely visualized. And because he is Satya Sankalpa, Satya Kamaha, whatever he visualized immediately comes out as a created thing. So Iman Lokan Asrujata. The second mantra continues. He, that Atman, created all these worlds. And according to our Vedic Rishis, the entire creation can be divided into 14 Lokas, worlds. And yesterday, we discussed those worlds. But here the Upanishad tells or rather divides all the 14 worlds into four types. Five, the uppermost worlds called Ambaha and then the Antariksha. Below those five worlds and below our earthly world, there is an intermediary space, Antariksha and it is called Mariji, he created. Then he created our earth which is called Mara. The meaning of the Mara is where everything that is created and it is sustained for some time and then it goes back, birth and death. Where people die, go back into their origin, that is called Mara. Then below the earth, seven worlds are there. For those who have done progressively evil deeds, more evil than an ordinary human being, he goes to one Loka below, still more evil, that means some amount of suffering, more suffering, still more suffering. The ultimate suffering comes in the Patala Loka. That is how we have seen created. Having created the worlds and we have to understand, having created the worlds, he also has created all the materials. As I gave the example, when parents are expecting a baby, they make a lot of things, prepare a lot of things, store a lot of things, so that their whole attention is on the baby. So having created all these worlds, he equipped them for the forthcoming. Then he thought everything is okay, but then there are no law enforcers. God has given laws in the form of Vedas. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Tharva Veda. But there must be some people to uphold those laws, make people do them. If they don't do, punish them. And if they do, reward them. They are called Lokapalas. So he has created one Virat Purusha. You can call him our Pauranic Brahma. It is not that Brahma is an old man with a white beard. He is sitting there and he takes some material and then he creates something like a potter creating something. No, I told you earlier that the whole thing is what we call he himself thought, let me become the world. Let me become the things in the world. Let me be also the rulers or the protectors or the upkeepers of the world. And the best example for it is dream. We create our own selves in the dream. We create the entire external world. And supposing you are dreaming that a person is driving a car and he is driving in the wrong side of the road and he is not stopping at the red light nor starting at the green light. Immediately the police, you yourself will dream that everybody is looking at him and very soon police comes there with a motorcycle or a jeep and arrests the person and takes away. Exactly like that a divine being has himself become the world's, every object in the world and also Lokapala. Here something very interesting comes. So what did he do? The third mantra tells us, So he thought, I have Loka, Lokaha, Sruja. I created the worlds. Now Lokapalanu Sruja. Let me create Lokapalas. So what did he do? First he created from where the Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika, Adhidaivika creation must come. So he created a Purusha. From where? From waters. What do you mean by water? I told you these Vedas, Upanishads and even Gaudapada uses peculiar words and we should not take the normal meaning. Here Adhya means the very material out of which Panchabhutas have been created. So he took that original material from which he created an entire Virat Purusha or you can say Prajapati or Hiranyagarbha. Let us call him the Virat Purusha. So he is called Purusham. He is shaped. So he took the raw material called the Panchabhutas, both subtle as well as gross and Amurchayat, shaped. He formed like a sculptor. He takes bit and then first he requires a huge stone and that stone is comparable to this. Only difference is the stone created, the images created by the sculptor because the stone is without any consciousness, the images also will be inert. But here he is Atman himself. He is both the living as well as the non-living, the inert as well as the conscious. So he first took that original Purusha, Virat Purusha. And then what did he do? Now he thought that now I must see that this drama called this world should go on and how should it go on. Here comes one of the most fantastic, marvellous, inimitable scheme of life. First I will give you a bit of the illustration and this is called Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. And the whole world is nothing but Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. And this triangle is called Ishwara. So earlier I said Virat Purusha. Now let us call the familiar name Ishwara. Ishwara subdivided himself into three parts. Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. What does that exactly mean? I did explain many times, many of you who are listening consistently should be familiar but it is good to recollect also for the sake of new people. Let us take a human with this world. In this world, I will give you a small illustration so that it will be easier and we can apply to all the other things also. What we call in English language etc. So first we take the example that there is the sun. Without the sun, that means light of the sun, heat of the sun. Both light and heat, the world cannot exist. And then because of that, let us say there is a tree, a beautiful tree bearing some beautiful flowers and fruits. And then here is a human being. So the human being has got five sense organs of knowledge. Also five sense organs of action. Also four parts of the mind called Manaha, Chitta, Buddhi and Ahankara. This combination of the physical body consisting of ten Indriyas and the four parts called together mind, this is what is called the personality of every living being. I am taking the example of the living being. So I said there is a sun and he is shining. And there is a tree, beautiful tree etc. full of flowers, very beautiful flowers and also fruits. And then there is this human being. Now human being has got so many sense organs. I am only taking the illustration because I mentioned the name of Aditya, sun. So the I, the sense organ called I, which is capable of experiencing the form, the colours, that is the speciality, special power of the I is called Adhyatma. That is purely physical body. And then there is Adhibhautika. Bhautika means the tree etc. Trees, hills, forests, rivers, other beings living as well as non-living, what we call the entire world is called Adhibhautika. Adhi, Atmika, Adhyatmika. Adhibhautika, Adhi plus Bhautika, Adhibhautika. Adhi plus Daivika, Adhidaivika. So that Adhi is Bhagwan, Ishwara. He divided himself into Atmika, Bhautika and Daivika. So this is the illustration. So here is a tree and a human being has an I, it is functioning. And that Indriya, the I is capable of seeing. So the I is there, capable I, healthy I. The tree is there, the sun is there. And for an experience, for this person to be able to experience that tree, all the three must be there. For example, if the sun is absent, that means no light, I is there, tree is there. No experience. The I is there, tree is not there, sun is there. That is not experienceable. Sun is there, tree is there, I is not there. I is there, tree is there, sun is not there. Any one of these three is absent. Experience cannot take place. Now you see, this is how Ishwara, he divided himself into three. Adhyatmika, Adhibhautika and Adhidaivika. This is how the whole world is going on merrily. World means, remember, experiencing. It is going on merrily. Now the I is called Adhyatmika, the individual organ. And God has endowed it. Ishwara is manifesting in the form of the I. And we have to do etc. in the form of the ear, etc. I will give you another illustration, then move forward. Very easy for us to understand. So, here is this person and his I, and it is very capable of perceiving whatever form, the colours of whatever is in front of that person. And the tree is also there, with beautiful blossoms, flowers and fruits. And the sun is also there. Now, as I said, each of these depends upon the other two. If there is one absent, then it is not a triangle and experience is not possible. Now, what is the relationship between the I and the Aditya or the Sun? The I has got the capacity to gather that light and with the help of that light, it is able to experience the tree. Remember, it is just an example. Now, the second person comes. He also sees. A dog comes. It also sees. A bird comes. It also sees the tree. All of them are able to see because all of them have got that organ called I. What is the I? The ability to perceive a form. Form means usually colours, and that is called an I. The ability to hear is called the ear. This is called the Indriya. So now, collectively, Aditya is manifesting in the form of the light in each I, and that is why we are able to use that individual light in the I and able to perceive any object. I gave the example of the tree. So this is the idea. So the combination of every I which is capable of seeing, all those I power, seeing power combined together is called Aditya. Similarly, there is the ear. Ear is able to hear, and everybody has a capacity to hear, but there must be a sound. That sound is Adibhautika. But that sound should reach me so that I can experience it. For that, a Devata is necessary. A combination of all the powers of hearing is necessary, and that combination of all powers of hearing is called Dishaha. The combination of all powers of seeing is called Aditya. The combination of all powers of tasting is called Sanendriya or Varuna. The combined powers of thinking in every living creature is called Chandra. In Vedantic language, this combined power, I just mentioned the Sun, he gives light to everybody, he gives the capacity of seeing and utilising that light to everybody, and so he is the Adhishtana Devata, presiding deity of the power of seeing. And individually, he is manifesting in each one of our eyes, and he is also manifesting in the power of an object which is seen. So, individual capacity to see, and the objects which we want to see, and the power which makes us see or hear, etc., that is called Adhishtana Devata. So for each one of these Indriyas, one one Devata is mentioned. This Triputi, this triangle, Adhishtatra Devata, presiding deity is called Adhidaivika, and the objects to be experienced are called Adhibhautika, and the individuals who experience are called Adhyatmika. This is the marvellous concept. As I mentioned, if one is absent, then experiences are impossible. All the three must come together in the right proportion, then only it is possible. Now, in this fourth mantra is telling. Another point we have to understand, you look at a person and you see he has got an eye. Has he got the capacity to see? No, unfortunately. Even blind people, some of them you can see very beautiful eyes, and there are people who can't hear, but they have got ears. There are some people who cannot smell, but they have got perfectly shaped nostrils. There are some people who cannot taste. In fact, you know, when you get cold, then your tasting power will reduce dramatically, drastically. So also, some people do not have perfect body, perfect skin, but the capacity to experience that touch, soft, hard, heat, cold, not there, absent. So, what is the point I wanted to tell you? The eyes, etc., we experience are called golakas. Golaka means like windows. So they are there, but their purpose is to keep the real indriya. We cannot see the indriya, we can only see the golaka. Just as when a person is sitting behind a window, and the window is completely up, only one side it allows us to see, the person inside can see, person outside cannot see. Many cars are also like that. Like that, a golaka is which houses the indriya. Golaka is the house for each indriya. But indriya belongs, the golaka belongs to the gross body. But the indriya, the capacity to see, to hear, to smell, to taste, to touch, that belongs to the sukshma sharira. So, this is the distinction between indriya and golaka. Why am I talking about it? But the fourth mantra, it only outlines three things. Golaka, how golaka came, or how Ishwara became the golaka, Ishwara became the indriya, Ishwara became the adheshthatru devata, residing deity. Then only experience is possible. I hope that this makes sense before I go into the fourth mantra. This is the last mantra in the first part of the first chapter. I will read out the fourth mantra. niravidhyatam karnabhyam srotram srotratisah tvak niravidhyatah tvacheho lomani lomabhyah oshadi vanaspatayah hridayam niravidhyatah hridayam manah manasah chandramah nabhih niravidhyatah nabhyah apanah apanat pratyah shishnam niravidhyatah shishnat retah retasah apah A little bit difficult word, not really very difficult. He has got this Rishi, Aitareya Rishi, he is talking about. He is also called Mahidasa because the mother earth, the mother of the Aitareya Rishi, he was perhaps being looked down as not of great intellect. So his mother prayed on his behalf, even when he was a child, to mother earth and mother earth blessed him with tremendous intellect, greatest intellect. It is only God's grace which can give us physical strength, intellectual strength or aesthetic sense, etc. Let us never forget it. That is why the greatest Indian poet Kalidasa is called Kalidasa because mother Kali blessed him with that capacity. Hence forward he was known as Kalidasa. Now coming back to this, I want to give before a little bit of what we call introduction to this. So what did he do? What did the Ishwara do? As if he was a sculptor. As if in front of him there is a very flexible image of a human being. Here human being's imagery is taken because human being, as I said, is the highest of biological evolution, capable of realizing God. So what did this Ishwara do before Ishwara took up? Like a sculptor, it is just what is called a kind of shapeless human being. Now what does a sculptor do? Suppose there is a square piece of marble and he wants to create, let us say, Krishna. So first roughly he will chip away all that is not Krishna. It is a beautiful thing because creation is chipping away really. Spiritual life is chipping away. So our Atma is covered with many, many layers, in fact five layers of what is called Anatma, so to say. And what does Guru do? What does Sadhana do? Slowly, with the help of the Guru, we chip away what is not Atman and what remains is Atman. This is exactly what every sculptor does. What does he do? He chips away non-Krishna, if he wants to make Krishna. He chips away non-Shiva, if he wants to make Shiva. He chips away non-Vishnu or non-Durga, if he wants to make Durga, etc. So he made a roughly human form and that form does not have any Indriyas. Just imagine, there are no Indriyas, there are no hands, there are no feet, there is no head, there is no stomach, there are no legs. Just imagine like that. So what does he do? So imagine also. These are all exercises in imagination. So he takes a chisel and then I am giving the imagery of a sculptor. And then he takes a chisel, a hammer and slowly he chips away, he makes a hole and slowly, but it is not any hole, but like an eye he makes a hole, like the nose he makes a hole, like a mouth, because mouth is a big hole. That is why our fight is only with the mouth. So mouth becomes holy, not a hole, but holy, then great progress can be made in every way. Then he chips away what is called ears, as if he is making some holes and making as it were the Golakas. Remember Golaka means windows whose function is to house the Indriyas. So this is the imagery it is given and keep this imagery. And the second point we have to understand is that the Upanishad here doesn't specify everything. It only gives like a few examples and we have to add etc. etc. etc. That's very important. Now with this we will go. What did he do? Like a sculptor. What is the sculptor analogy? Anybody cannot become a sculptor. He must have crystal clear idea what should be the size, what should be the shape and whom he is going to fashion. That is why it is called an art. That is why he is called an artist. So before doing anything, what did this person do? This Ishwara do? He visualized. That is called his Tapas. He visualized. That is called his Tapas. That is what he is going to do. Tam abhyatapat. Tapatapasya here means deep thinking, creative thinking. And then what happened? Having visualized this should be the face, this should be the mouth, this should be the eyes, this should be the ears, this should be the hands etc. And he has done that one. Tam abhyatapat, deep thinking. Deep thinking means here recollecting. Why recollecting? Because he has done it billions and billions of times. In fact he prepared a mould and he is doing it. Tam, that means that Virat Purusha or Ishwara here. Abhyatapat, he visualized. I want this Ishwara to be like this and to be created in three ways. Golakam, Indriyam and Adhishtatru Devata. Keep this in mind. Tasya abhyataptasya. And what did he do? From his visualization or deep thinking, what did he do? Yatha andam. The Upanishad is trying to be a little bit poetic here. So it has given the idea how a bird lays down the egg, sits on it for a certain number of days and slowly the chick is developing. And then what happens? One day the egg breaks and the chick comes out. Similarly, when this Ishwara upon himself, he himself is the doer, creator, sculptor, he himself is the raw material and he himself is the Virat Purusha in the form of, like a human being, the window and what it houses, the Indriya and the Adhishtatru Devata. These three he wanted to create. Keep that in mind. So mukham niravidhyata. He pierced that Purusha. And then what did he do? Like a mouth. And then what happened? What happened from mukha, vachaha. First mukha had come. Then what happened? Vachaha. The mukha must have a function. What is the function of the mouth speaking? So vachaha means speech. And who is the Adhishtatru Devata? Agni. Agni is supposed to be the Adhishtatru Devata. Here also you have to keep something in mind in our introduction to Vedanta manuals. It is said every part of the human body has got somebody. For example, the presiding deity of the hands is Indra. Presiding deity of the legs is called Vishnu. Presiding deity of the speech is called Agni. Presiding deity of the mind is called Chandrama. There are reasons also for that. So the presiding deity of the power of hearing or the ears is Vishaha. Means the four directions. That means space. So every organ has got its presiding deities without which it is completely useless. As we have taken the example without the sun seeing is not possible. Without the space hearing is not possible. Now you have to add with every this thing. So first thing he pierced and the mouth came out. From the mouth immediately by Ishwara's will speech came out. And this is happening remember all over the world universally. So there must be one who regulates all the speech. And without his grace it is not possible. That is why when somebody speaks Thanda is so cold you feel like going to sleep. Somebody's fiery speech. Swami Vivekananda's fiery speech. That is why children in competition shout to imitate Swami Vivekananda. But sometimes the effort is what we call laughable. Because the person's voice may be a girl's voice so faint nobody can hear. Sometimes very powerful voice also. So the fiery speech, fiery ideal etc. Agni. So mouth, speech and fire. Then he pierced a little bit above that. Nashika means nostrils. And what came out? Pranaha. Pranaha means the power of breathing in and out. And who is this one? Vayu Devata. That is why said Nashike nirabhidhyata pranaha pranadvayu. So these three triad Volakam, Indriyam and Adhishtathru Devata. Nostrils, pranah, the power of breathing and Vayu Devata. Suppose Vayu Devata is not there. Your nostrils are quite capable of breathing. What are you going to do? Ram Nam Satahai. You have to Harivom Ramakrishna. You have to shout. Then he made both the eyes. Then out of that has come out Chakshu. Chakshu means the power of seeing. And then Adityaha also came out at the same time. The universal combined power of everybody's seeing power is called the Sun. Then he pierced the ears. Karnau nirabhidhyata. And then it developed the power of hearing. And who is the residing deity of hearing? The Shaha. All the directions are space. Then he pierced the Twak. Twak came out. Twak means the sparsha Golaka. So our skin is only a Golaka. But when you touch somebody's skin, suppose something developed because of injury, a thick scab is formed. And then you touch that. Perhaps the person will not feel anything. It is the capacity to feel cold and heat, soft and hard. That is called Twak Indriya. Sparsha Indriya. That Sparsha Indriya. So first skin, then Sparsha Indriya. Then who is the residing deity of this one? So he said Tvachaha. Tvachaha, then what happened? Lomani. That means hair. Lomabhyaha. So this is Tvachaha. And then what did he do? He has pierced. Osha di vanaspataya ha. This is the residing deity. As I said, sometimes names are peculiar. So what is the Golaka? Skin. What is the power of experiencing touch? And through the Lomani means through the hairs, etc. And who is the residing deity? Vayu Devata. But here it is Osha di vanaspataya ha. Forget about the names. This is how we have to understand. Then Hridayam. So he made Hridayam. That is physical heart. What does the physical heart do? Immediately it became an instrument of thinking. Hridaya manaha. And then who is the residing deity? Manasaha Chandrama. The moon. Why is the moon? Because mind is full of what we call imaginations and feelings. Especially, I feel good, I feel bad. All those emotions, terrible emotions. And like the waves on the tsunami, they are always moving here and there. And it is said that water, the oceans, the seas, etc. What happens on the day of Poornima? What happens on the day of Amavasya? It has a very, very special effect. I have seen with my own eyes that when we used to be at the Belur Math in the training center for two years, the Ganges is flowing there outside just on the banks of the Ganges only. Belur Math was established. The most beautiful place. And then, what is called ebb tide, low tide, depending because it is very near to the sea, only about 80 miles or so. So the sea becomes so powerful, it throws back one wave and then for hundreds of miles the whole Ganges is turned back. It is a side to sea. From the left side, the Ganges is flowing down. From the right side, the Ganges, thrown by the sea, is coming up. And both these meet. When both of them meet, a mountain high water is raised. And it is so powerful. And it is so frightening. But there are Calcutta boys, very fearless boys. They are waiting for this. As soon as this art, they call it art, as soon as art comes, they jump into it. They enjoy that sport, daredevil sport. Sometimes, boats are also completely upset because of that power. That is why the boatmen have developed a special skill. How to guide the boats in such an angle that they will rise, they will move this side, left side, right side. We think they may be almost sinking, but they do not usually sink. Sometimes, yes, helplessly, boats are sunk, passengers are lost and they lose their lives also. Quite a number of times it happens, but usually the warning is given. Now what I am trying to tell you, that the moon exerts a terrible influence on these waters. And our emotions are like that, so powerless, like small, small waves. That is why when a person is unable to control his mind, he is called lunatic. The word lunatic comes from the word lunar. Lunar means influence of the moon. That is what he is telling. The presiding lord, deity of the mind, of thoughts, of emotions, of imaginations is this mind. Then what did Ishwara do with that figure? Panchabhutas naabhi niravidyata, so he took down a little and took a chisel and gave a blow. Then the golaka, that is the window, what is it? This is what we call naabhi, navel. And then from there, the power, that is called apana. Apana is one function of this. And this apana, mrutyu, mrutyu is the presiding deity of this apana. According to Vedanta, when this apana function is very, very weak and low, then mrutyu will come. Then, these are some examples only I told you. Then shishnam niravidyata, he thought this creative process should continue. So he pierced a particular part and then this organ of generation, procreation has come out. That is a golaka, remember. Because this organ cannot do anything, even if it functions, unless there is something inside, which is called retaha, purushabhijaha, or what we call the procreative power, very special power. That is called purushabhijaha. This is called shaman. Without shaman, the indriya is totally useless. And then, who is the presiding deity? Ahapaha, that is waters, or Varuna devata is the presiding deity of this retas. So, we have seen someone. I will just catalogue this one. What is the purpose of this statement? One may think wrongly. What is the purpose? Why this person, this Ishwara, is piercing and then there comes the mouth, there comes the ears, there comes the nostrils, there comes the skin, there comes the navel, there comes all these things. What is the purpose? The purpose is, so many people, especially those who are called charvakas, those who do not believe that nature has created nature. Nature has created this universe. The whole universe came by itself. And nature is inert, without any consciousness. In order to write that wrong idea, this is given that the Ishwara, the embodiment of consciousness, consciously, with full thinking, he had fashioned this one. So, this srishti has come from God, who is a chaitanya vastu, conscious being. That is the important point, and that is what we have to keep all the time, that at every stage, this Paramatma had to interfere. First he thought, that is the first stage. Then he created the worlds, that is the next stage. Then he created, after creating, let me create so that people can come out and continue their job of procreating, of multiplication, of propagation of this species. And then slowly they evolve, and slowly they become human beings, and slowly they become, what we call, capable of understanding or studying the scriptures. And then they come to know what is dharma, what is adharma. And some people regulate, some people do not. And so they create Papa Karma, Punya Karma, and for that purpose, they have to experience the reward as well as punishment. For that purpose, further worlds have to be created. That is why they have done, anybody has done, a tremendous amount of Punyam. They cannot experience the deserved happiness on this earth, because we have to remember one thing. However nice a thing is, the capacity to enjoy it, is completely restrained, limited by our capacity. Perhaps, an example I am giving, the finest musician, greatest musician is creating, but if this person does not have, what we call in the common language, ear for music, that means what he is unable to appreciate, his hearing sounds okay, but he is not hearing the music, much less he understands what is called ragas, much less the finest nuances. Sometimes, you understand, a music concert is going on, an expert singer is singing, an expert tabalchi or mridangist is air-playing, you know what these people do, they compete with each other. So this person is going on singing in his own way, but the singing has to be done according to the time, called laya, called thala, rhythm. Rhythm divided into particular matras, that is called thala. Tri thala, ek thala, jump thala, etc. So many thalas are there, variations of thalas are there, and for each style of singing, there is a different type of these things are there. So the tabalchi wants to confuse the musician, he goes into a different type of rhythm, not really deviating, but something different, and he does it so fast, and then he thinks that if this person is not a good musician, he will be lost, because he doesn't know where to start, where to stop, because singing has to be done in perfect unison with the thala. But the musician is also perfect. So here is an anadi, he is sitting, and his money is rich, and so he secures a front seat and first class sofa seat, and then he sits. Slowly he starts yawning, and then nodding his head, perhaps he thinks, I am so intelligent, I am nodding with the rhythm of the thala, but it is the inner nodding, sleep is coming, because he doesn't have the ear for the music. That is what is meant. It is everything that intelligence should be given by the Divine Lord. So the person who enjoys must have the capacity to enjoy, the person who wants to enjoy, the object he wants to enjoy, must be a perfect, beautiful object, and the instrument through which this person wants to enjoy also must be a perfect instrument. All these things are the Divine Grace. But for that Divine Grace, the person has to understand, I have to pray, and then only I become a deserving person. And as soon as I become a fit, deserving person, the Divine Grace will automatically come over him. And that is why the blind nature can only create blind things, but even it cannot create blind things without the Grace of God, without a living, conscious being. That is why Bhagavan Krishna very categorically tells in the Bhagavad Gita, Mayadhyakshena Prakruti Suyate Sacharacharam, whatever is moving, non-moving, Prakruti, my Maya, it creates everything. But how? Maya Adhyakshena. I sit by its side, I lend my power of consciousness to it, and then it accepts that consciousness like a firewood. It absorbs the power of heating, that is called bringing out the fire, and then it becomes capable of heating our tea, coffee, food, everything, anything. So without God, what becomes Prakruti? Prakruti even doesn't know, I am Prakruti. That is why we always have to remember that without God, it is not possible at all. So this is the idea given. The whole world is created by God, from God. He is inside the world, He is outside the world, and there is nothing else excepting Him. That is why I am just mentioning what is Puja. First, you make yourself pure. Second stage, you become conscious. God, here is my hand, until now I was thinking it is my hand, now I know it is your hand. I am transferring my ignorantly thought about ownership, that this is me, now I am transferring to you, and that is called Aratrika, because the whole world has come out of the Pancha Bhutas, just now as we thought. And Pancha Bhutas means Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala and Prithvi. And my body, your body, my mind, your mind, everything came out of this Pancha Bhutas. What does it mean? I do not exist at all. This acknowledgement after doing Puja properly, is that everything belongs to you, that is what is called Aratrika. I will speak about this a little bit, to make us understand, as the modern scientists are apt to disregard God, and say that we could create the world, nature only is creating, we mastered nature, now we can create many things, nature is doing, God is not necessary. But that is such a foolish thought, our Upanishad is telling, it is only God who can create, and it is only God who is the creator also. So if when we understand that fact, that Mahavakya, Prajnanam Brahma, that I am the Atman, that experience will come, which we will discuss in our next class. Om Jananim Shardam Devim Ramakrishnam Jagat Gurum Pada Padme Tayo Shritva Pranamami Mohur Mohuhu May Ramakrishna, Holy Mother and Swami Vivekananda bless us all with Bhakti. Jai Ramakrishna